False Lives
by Sanqhian
Summary: Danny and Martin are sent undercover to live a false life. But the deeper they go the more they both realize they've been living false lives to begin with. [slash]
1. Real World

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, drama, violence, language, slash

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**Chapter One: Real World**

It was a normal boring day in a long line of boring days. There hadn't been a really good case in the last few months. Most of the people who disappeared were found within hours. Either they ran away or just lost track of time. No one had been kidnapped, no one murdered. Martin knew that he should be happy about it but sitting at his desk was getting tiresome. He wanted to be out in the field doing something that resembled honest work. Anything would be better than sitting at his desk at this point. A pile of folders from old cases had been sitting on the corner of his desk for the last two weeks. He hadn't made a dent in it. Instead he just kept mixing them up. Every now and then he would take one and flip through it before sticking it back in the pile. He didn't want to go over old cases. He wanted something new. Something fresh. His life was getting too predictable and just plain boring. He hated it. Where was the worry, the adrenaline, the feeling of finding that one missing person alive?

He wasn't the only one that was feeling cooped up and tired. Danny sat off to his side and was at that moment playing a computer game. He had no work on his desk, having done it instead of playing around like Martin was. Now he wished he still had that pile of old cases. At least it would give him something to do. He tried to hide a yawn as he moved onto another level in his game. While waiting for the screen to load he looked around the office to see how the others were fairing.

Sam was resting her head on her arm which was on her desk. It actually looked as though she had fallen asleep. He couldn't blame her. Elena was painting her nails and Vivian was going over some homework for her son. The door to Jack's office was closed and he couldn't see in through the windows. At least, he couldn't see his boss. As far as he knew Jack could be sound asleep on his couch much the way Sam slept at her desk. Something had to give or they were going to lose their minds.

Martin stood, stretching and yawning. He looked at the clock before grabbing the empty coffee mug on his desk and heading toward the break room. Danny decided to follow him. A little conversation wouldn't hurt. The place was like a morgue. They needed to liven up. He glanced at the white board that hadn't been used since…he couldn't remember when. Grabbing his own coffee mug he headed off after Martin. When he got to the break room he found Fitzgerald leaning back against the counter, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed.

"Napping? You should try your desk. It seems to be working for Sam," he said as he poured the still warm coffee into his cup.

"Not so much napping as hoping that time will miraculously pass real quickly and a case will fall into our laps," Martin replied, opening his eyes and gazing at Danny.

Danny just flashed him a smirk. "Hm, not gonna happen, Fitzy. We're going to rot in this office. The next person to disappear is going to have skeletons waiting to find them. I never thought I would see the day when I wished someone would get kidnapped or disappear under suspicious circumstances. At this rate I think I'm going to die from boredom."

"Can that actually happen?" asked Martin as he settled into a chair across the table from Danny. "Can someone honestly die of boredom?"

"I think we're going to find out," Danny replied, rolling his eyes. "Hey, what are you doing after work?"

"Why?" Martin sipped his coffee. The caffeine wasn't going to give him a kick the way it usually did. His body and his mind were just too tired from a lack of stimulation. Even the caffeine fought a losing battle against the boredom.

"Why don't we go out, you know, hit one of the many New York night clubs or something. Maybe it'll keep us from going stir crazy," offered Danny, sipping his own coffee.

Martin studied him in silence for a few minutes. He liked hanging out with Danny. After all, the slightly older man had become his best friend in the last few years. And when had they last spent time together, just the two of them? Would it really hurt to go out partying for a night? He let out another yawn before he answered Danny. "Sounds like a plan to me. At least it'll give me something to look forward to. Where exactly do you want to go?"

"Does it matter?" Danny shrugged. "Just get your ass changed. I'll swing back and pick you up at about seven or eight. That should be enough time for you to get showered, eat dinner, and find something decent to wear."

"I always wear decent clothing," mumbled Martin as he sipped his coffee again. He let his eyes stray toward the wind where the clouds were rolling in to block out the beautiful blue sky.

Danny laughed. "Maybe I'll take you out shopping this weekend, show you what cool clothes are. You need to get away from your father's style, Martin. Loosen up a bit."

"You are not going to stick me in leather pants and some see-through shirt, Danny," Martin protested jokingly. Martin placed his mug in the sink before heading back toward his desk. "I have work to do," he said as he walked out the door.

"Give me enough time and I'll have you wearing nothing," Danny grumbled to himself as he stood from the table, placing his mug in the sink beside Martin's. How many years had it been now that they'd worked side by side? And still, Martin didn't show any signs of falling in love with him. He had made it perfectly clear that he loved Sam when they had hooked up. Yet, seeing Martin with Sam did little to persuade Danny that Martin was as straight as an arrow and only liked sex with women. He was tired of not having any work to do but he wasn't tired of chasing after Martin. Eventually he would catch and when he did, he would make him scream in ecstasy. Maybe he would use their trip out tonight as a step toward his goal. He wanted Martin in his bed. Though he would be quite happy to be in Martin's bed. He didn't really care where it happened as long as it did happen.

Sighing with slight frustration he ran a hand through his hair and headed back into the main office. Sam was still sleeping at her desk, a tiny bit of drool creeping out of the corner of his mouth. Elena was sitting by the window with her cell phone to her ear. She was happily chatting to someone. Vivian was nowhere in sight and Jack's door was still closed. Martin was back at his desk, an old case file open in front of him. But Danny could tell from the look in his eyes that he wasn't reading the papers inside. His mind was far away. He settled back into his own chair and prepared to play the next level of his game. He often got carried away and thought of them as movie-type superheroes. But this was the cold reality of it all. This was the real world and in the real world, life wasn't always so exciting.


	2. Long Day

**Title: **Laying Down With Dogs

**Disclaimer: **Angst, violence, slash, and language.**  
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**Chapter Two: Long Day**

Five-o-clock eventually rolled around. Sam had been roused by Vivian a few minutes before hand as Jack came out of his office. They all tried to look busy but none of them, with the exception of Martin who actually was busy, pulled it off. He had finally gotten around to working on all the old case files that had been piled on his desk. Some of them weren't as boring as he thought. It was interesting to read about disappearances that happened well before he joined the team. Hell, most of the cases were before any of them had joined the team. As the others gathered up their things to go Martin continued to input the data from the file into the computer. The new logging system they were using required even old, solved cases to be put into the database. Just incase there were similarities or something like that. Martin hadn't really been listening when it was explained two weeks ago.

Sam walked out with Vivian and Elena, talking about something that only girls really understood. He didn't bother to pay them any attention as they walked by. Jack had already bid them a quick farewell before disappearing into the elevator. That left just him and Danny, who was sitting back in his chair and studying Martin. Martin could feel his eyes on him and it sent a slight shiver down his spine. He couldn't make heads or tails of Danny. Never had been able to and he was doubting that he ever would. One minute he thought he had the other man figured out. The next, he was left feeling like he didn't know him. Even though they spent so much time together Danny was nearly a stranger to him. Sure, Martin knew all about Danny's poor upbringing and the problems he had with his brother. But that was about it. Danny never talked to him about girls he dated or anything else that typical friends spoke of. When they hung out it was always talk about work or the people they worked with. Or they talked about the movie they had just seen or the sports game they were watching. It didn't really bother him that Danny kept things hidden. It gave him an excuse for hiding things too.

"Fitzy is hard at work and it's time to leave, what's wrong with this picture?" Danny suddenly said his voice loud in the quiet office. Martin looked around and realized that they were indeed the only ones in the vicinity. Danny leaned forward, placing his elbows on his legs. "Do you plan to just keep working? I do recall making plans with you earlier. Are you going to bail on me?"

There was a hint of worry in Danny's voice that caught Martin by surprise. He had never heard it before and found it quite interesting that Danny was worried he would stand him up. But he didn't dwell on the thought for very long. It would only prove to be a waste of time as it left him wondering once again what the other man kept locked deep inside his heart. "I'm not going to stand you up," he finally replied, closing the folder that was in front of him. "I just thought I would delay because I don't have anything 'decent' to wear out tonight, as you so lovingly put it."

Danny smiled. "You can always borrow some of my clothes."

That actually got a chuckle out of Martin. "I'm pretty sure they wouldn't fit me, Danny. You're taller than I am."

"You could always go without a stitch of clothing at all," offered Danny with a sly smile that sent another shiver down Martin's spine. "I'm pretty sure the ladies would love that. You can show them your gun."

Martin actually began to blush. To him it sounded like Danny was hitting on him. But why would hit on a Fitzgerald? He was always fluttering with Elena and Sam, so why was he doing it with Martin now? Was it just the way he was or was there more to it, something that he didn't quite yet understand? He shook his head for an answer just as much as to clear away the thoughts that were building in his mind. "Can you imagine the fit my father would have if he caught wind of that? I would be disowned so fast your head would spin." He paused. "Actually, that might not be such a bad thing."

Danny laughed as he stood. "Come on, Fitzy. It's been a long day. We need to go unwind. Have some drinks, do a little dancing. Maybe find a hook-up for the night." The drinks were merely for the benefit of things. He had given up on alcohol some time ago and didn't plan on indulging old habits. And Martin very rarely had anything alcohol himself when they went out together. Danny wasn't sure if it was just his way of being nice or if Martin disliked the bitter tastes. And the only hook-up he wanted that night was with Martin. No one else.

"Just let me go home and get changed," Martin stated, shutting off his computer and grabbing his bag.

An hour or two later they were sitting at a small table inside a club where the music did a good job of drowning out the conversations some people were trying to have. Martin had chosen a pair of jeans with a simple black T-shirt. As far as Danny was concerned, Martin looked even better in a pair of tight fighting jeans than he did in his suits at work. Danny had also gone with jeans but his shirt was a button down in a festive blue color with swirls in purple and black all over it.

"We should dance," Danny shouted to be heard over the music. Martin gave him a funny look. "Not with each other, silly. Find a girl and dance. That's why we're here, isn't it?"

Martin looked around. "No one really seems interested, Danny." It was true. All the girls were either talking with their friends, dancing with their friends, or had found a guy to dance with. When Martin looked back to Danny he didn't like the gleam he saw in his friend's eyes.

"Alright, then lets dance together. I bet that will drive the women crazy," suggested Danny.

He shook his head in response. "Are you kidding me? We'll probably get our asses kicked by some homophobic guy who thinks we're a couple. It's hot when two girls do it, Danny. Not two guys."

"I beg to differ, Fitzy," Danny grumbled under his breath knowing that the music would keep Martin from hearing him. "Dancing with you would be down right hot."

Martin cocked an eyebrow. "What did you say?"

"I said, maybe we should split up, mingle, see what we come up with. After all, we came here to enjoy ourselves. Did we not?"

They did split up. Danny stayed out of sight of Martin but kept watch on him. He liked to watch Martin move and to watch him dance. He liked to study Martin's lips as he spoke and wondered what it would be like to kiss them. As time wore on Martin found a group of girls to hang out with and being buying them drinks, partaking in a couple of beers himself. It shocked and dismayed Danny a bit to see his crush drinking. Something he would never do again. the hours dragged on and Danny realized that he was going to have to ruin the fun Martin had found. They did, after all, have to report to work the next morning. And he knew for a fact that Jack would not be happy to have Martin show up with a hang-over. He sighed. Paying his tab. It had been a long day and an even longer night, and still, he wasn't any closer to making Martin his.


	3. 3am

**Title:** False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, violence, slash, and language.**  
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**Chapter Three: 3am**

There was a ringing in his head that was starting to get annoying. He wanted to cling to the sleep that felt so comforting but the ringing drove it away a little at a time until he opened his eyes. His apartment was dark and he was laying on something uncomfortable. It had been a while since he'd slept on the couch but he clearly remembered that it wasn't so uncomfortable. He went to place his hand underneath himself as a brace and touched denim. He scowled into the darkness. What the hell was going on? Carefully he rolled off of the couch and headed for the kitchen. Once there he flipped on the light over the sink. It bathed the kitchen in a gloomy glow but the small source of light allowed him a better advantage at seeing what was in the living room. Danny was sound asleep on the couch. Where he had been just seconds ago. He had been sleeping on Danny. He frowned, trying to remember what had happened earlier in the night. What he remembered was that he couldn't even recall leaving the club, never mind why he was sleeping on Danny.

His cell phone, which lay on the table, chirped to signal that he had a message. A minute later Danny's phone began to ring. Martin walked timidly into the living room and retrieved his phone from the table. He was going to book it into the bedroom when Danny began to stir. He looked back over his shoulder at the safety that his bedroom offered him. There was no chance he would make it in time. And even if he did, they would have to talk about what happened last night eventually. Even if they didn't want to. It would come up, or leave them with too many awkward silences that would make the others curious. He bit his bottom lip as he tried to decide what to do. He realized that he was embarrassed that he had fallen asleep on Danny and was praying that some freak event kept Danny from remembering. Maybe Danny had passed out before him. But he found that highly unlikely. Danny hadn't been drinking. He had been, though.

"What time is it?" Danny asked in a thick, sleepy voice. The sound of his voice made Martin jump. Any chance he had of getting away was gone now. He had wasted it with indecisions and worrisome thoughts.

He looked at the digital clock that sat atop his TV. "It's three in the morning."

Danny grumbled something that Martin couldn't make out before grabbing his ringing phone. "What?"

Martin shifted his weight from one foot to the other while he waited for Danny to get off the phone. He knew that it was Jack who had called them. Most likely someone had gone missing. Go figure, the one night they go out to enjoy life and they get called into work early. He never should have agreed to going to that damn club. He should have just come home, find something to watch on TV, and eat dinner. But no, he had to go out with Danny and get drunk. And now everything was messed up. He not only had to be into work early but he still couldn't get passed the fact that he had fallen asleep on Danny.

"Earth to Martin," Danny said.

His voice drew Martin from the avalanche of thoughts passing through his mind. Judging by the look on Danny's face he had been talking to him and Martin had missed everything. "I…what…"

"We have to go to work," remarked Danny with a stretch as he stood from the couch. "No time to change either. Jack wants us there as soon as possible. Like now, he said. I have no idea what's going on but I'm not going to piss the boss of. Come on, you can ride into work with me."

Martin swallowed nervously. He couldn't catch a ride to work with Danny. This early in the morning, if they showed up together there would be questions. Rumors would start. Rumors that would probably reach his father and that wasn't something he wanted to risk. He tried to think of a way to turn down Danny's offer without looking rude. But there really wasn't any excuse that sounded good enough.

"Come on, Martin. We have to get going," Danny said to him, a sheepish little grin on his lips. "You're worried what the others are going to think, aren't you?" He didn't even bother waiting for an answer. "Oh please, Fitzy, you worry too much. We were out at a club. They won't be thinking dirty little thoughts about us. No one's going to ruin your reputation. Hell, I invited the girls to go with us last night but they all declined. So see, no worries. Let's go."

Martin still didn't move. He just stood there, staring at the couch where they had both been sleeping. He couldn't get the image of himself sleeping on Danny out of his head. He couldn't go to work. He would do something to give 'way the fact that more had happened between them than they were letting on. Of course, he had no idea what it was that had happened. And he wasn't quite sure how he felt about the whole thing. He jumped when someone placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Danny standing beside him with a concerned look in his eyes.

"Nothing happened last night, Fitzy," he said softly.

"But…"

Danny offered him a smile. "I was reclining on your couch. You were jabbering about the girls from the club and neither one of us was ready to call it a night. So I flipped on the TV. You sat on the edge of the couch. Before I knew it you passed out and were laying on me. I tried to wake you but…" He shrugged.

Martin felt the heat of a blush in his cheeks. "I'm sorry. I don't usually drink so much. I guess the boredom of the last few weeks…"

"Everyone cuts loose once in a while, Martin. No worries. Now let's get to work before Jack has our badges. He said that it was important and he sounded pretty damn serious."

"You think we actually have a case to work?" Martin asked, massaging the back of his neck. At least the effects of the alcohol from last night weren't readily present. He rarely actually suffered from hangovers. Maybe that was a blessing in disguise, especially right now.

"It had better be something," grumbled Danny as they left the apartment behind. "I don't like being up before the sun."


	4. Push

**Title:** False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, slash, violence, and language.**  
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**Chapter Four: Push**

When they got to Federal Plaza they were in for an unpleasant surprise. As they rode up the elevator they stood in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. Little did either one of them know that their thoughts were nearly identical. Both of them were thinking of the couch. Danny was imagining what it would have been like it if only they had been curled up next to each other in Martin's bed instead of on the couch. Where as Martin was trying to sort out the odd feelings that were coursing through his body. For some reason he couldn't figure out why he had wanted to return to the couch and once again fall asleep on Danny. What did that mean?

The doors opened and Danny waited until Martin stepped out first. He liked to walk behind Martin so that he could admire the rear view of his friend. Maybe someday he would be lucky enough to see it bare. The girls were waiting for them at the little table between the desks. Elena was busily sipping coffee trying to stay awake while Vivian dozed on and off. Sam had rested her chin in one hand and was looking positively tired. None of them looked like the fine investigators that they were. But who could blame them? It was one thing to have nothing to do while at work, and another thing to call them in early in the morning and expect any form of pep from them. They all pretty much looked as though they had rolled out of bed, grabbed whatever clothes were within reach, and left. In fact, he caught a glimpse of Sam's feet and saw that she was wearing two different socks. At least it wasn't two different shoes. That would have been more embarrassing.

Danny pulled out one of the chairs and sat down heavily. His body was exhausted. Martin took the seat beside him with a big yawn. Elena grumbled something to them but it was incoherent. A few minutes passed before they were joined by Jack. Danny wanted to scowl at their boss. The older man looked as though he had been sleeping in paradise. He was neat and presentable and there wasn't a trace of exhaustion anywhere in his appearance. Hell, there was even a sparkle in his eyes. He carried with him a stack of folders that he distributed between them. Martin slumped in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes closed. He would be able to hear them talking so he saw no need to have his tired eyes open.

"Well, aren't you a lovely looking bunch," a voice said. Martin nearly jumped out of his seat as his back straightened. He whacked a knee on the table but the only person to notice was Danny. "I was expecting better than this. You people should be used to odd hours by now. Wake up. There's work to be done."

Martin looked at the others as they realized the importance of the matter and tried to in vain to look wide awake. He kept his eyes on his hands which he placed on the table. He couldn't muster the courage to look at his father. The man always made him nervous. For as long as he could remember- hell, the entire length of his life he had been trying to prove himself to his father only to fail time and time again. He just couldn't live up to his father's expectations. Sometimes he would catch himself wondering why he had even bothered to join the FBI. He knew the answer. It was the same answer to all the other questions in his life. He did it to please his father. Everything he did was to please his father, even if it didn't necessarily work. And now that his father had caught him snoozing while at work he'd never hear the end of it.

"Why are we here so early?" Vivian boldly asked. None of them had opened the case files Jack had presented them with.

"Local authorities in a small town contacted their nearest FBI office and the call was directed to my office," Victor began to explain. His voice sounded a little holier-than-though to Martin but no one else seemed to catch it. "It seems that they could very well have a serial killer in their midst's."

"And why is this our problem?" muttered Sam without a care. It was clear that she just wanted to catch a few more hours of sleep. "We deal with missing people. Not serial killers."

"I'm well aware of that, Agent Spade," stated Victor. "However, your department has been lacking in work lately and I feel that you can use the stimulation. I can't have you losing your edge. This is a job where everyone must stay sharp. So I signed you up for the case. And you will deal with it."

"What's so special about the serial killer? Does he have any signatures?" Danny asked, flipping open his case file for the first time.

"He likes hate crimes. All of his victims have been gay. From what the locals have gathered he stalks his victims for a short time before kidnapping them. He then proceeds to torture them and eventually kill them," Victor explained to them. "This man has a deep hatred and needs to be taken off the streets. Two of you will be going in undercover, and those two will be Danny and Martin."

At the sound of his name Martin finally looked at his dad. "Why us?" he asked before he could stop himself. "Why not two of the girls or maybe include Jack?"

Victor shook his head. "No. Looking at all the victims, the girls wouldn't work. He only targets gay men. And his victims tend to be young, good looking men. You and Danny would fit right in. Now, there's a house in the neighborhood that has been for sale the last month. The FBI has rented the place. The two of you are to move in tomorrow afternoon. You will receive all the paperwork you need to convince the neighbors that you are just another innocent couple. Nothing else. I want you to push, to make contact with the gay community there as quickly as you can. We need to get his guy off the streets before he kills again. Understood?"

"Yes," everyone buy Elena said. She was trying to suppress a yawn.

Martin felt his heart beat a bit quicker at the thought of pretending he was married to Danny. He wasn't sure if he would be a convincing enough gay man to pull it off. and if he failed that would just be one more nail in his coffin. One more 'I told you so' from his father. A feeling of dread began to grow in the deepest pit of his stomach and he felt as though he were going to vomit. Meanwhile Danny was trying not to seem to happy about the turn of events. He wanted to count this as some sort of sign that he was going to get what he'd always dreamed of having. Martin. Perhaps while playing at make-believe he would be able to draw out of Martin the feelings that he kept hidden from everyone else. The feelings that Danny knew were there but couldn't get to. This was his blessing in disguise. Now if only they could pull off the gay-couple act.


	5. Girl Like That

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, violence, slash, and language.**  
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**Chapter Five: Girl like That**

They spent the rest of the earlier morning hours going over the murders of six guys. All gay. All having lived in this one town. The girls did a good portion of the talking, along with Victor and Jake. Danny made sure to get in his two cents every once in a while but Martin sat quietly in his chair, his thoughts focused on one thing and one thing only. Danny. First he finds himself sleeping on Danny and now he finds that he has to pretended to be a couple with his best friend. Martin wasn't entirely sure he could pull this off. Danny was good at acting. He'd proved that when they worked that case a few months back and he'd been video-taped making out with Elena. Sure did seem like he enjoyed her company. Maybe it hadn't been acting so much as it had been real. Still Martin had little doubt that Danny would be able to pull this off.

By the time noon rolled around Victor and the rest of the team were ready to go, to get this case started. Never mind that they'd been home in bed hours ago and only there for a short time. All their boredom was erased, the dull eyes turned bright, and the yawns replaced with questions and ideas on how to make Martin and Danny a more convincing couple. One of the best suggestions came from Sam. They were still sitting around the table, Victor having let, and eating Chinese food that Jack ordered for them. All of a sudden Sam blurted out that they'd have to rent a queen- or king-sized bed so that Martin and Danny could sleep side by side. It would help them look more like a couple. Martin felt the knots twisting in his stomach.

An even big shocker came down the grapevine at two in the afternoon. The paperwork was already set up for them. The truck was loaded and the move ready to go. Victor had changed his mind. He wanted them moved in by the end of the day. Jack gave everyone their orders; Elena and Vivian were the only two staying in the office that day. Jack and Sam were to accompany the new couple to their new home and help them move in. There was just enough time for them to go home and pack a few of their personal belongings. While Martin was home he made sure to toss an extra pistol into his bag before sitting at the foot of his bed. He couldn't believe that he was being made to go through with this. How was he going to manage pulling this off? He felt the heat of a blush creep up his cheeks as he thought of having to kiss Danny. At some point it was bound to happen.

This was going to be hell and immensely uncomfortable. He knew that Danny would have no problems with it. Danny rarely had problems with anything they did. The only time he'd seen Danny lose his cool had been nearly a year ago during the accident. And even then, he hadn't actually seen it first hand, only heard about it from the others. Martin absently rubbed at the scar that he received that night, the night he nearly died. It still haunted him 'til this day, waking him in the middle of the night with nasty nightmares that let him shaking, covered in sweat, and unable to return to the realm of slumber. Then a terrifying thought occurred to him. What if he had one of those nightmares while on the case, while lying in bed next to Danny? How embarrassing that would be for him.

If only he could back out of doing this. But he valued his job and he didn't want to upset his father. Or make Danny think he hated the idea of spending time with him. It looked as though he was just going to have to deal with it. Grabbing his duffle bag he headed out of the room, locking up his apartment before going downstairs where the others were waiting for him. He put his bag in the back with the others and climbed in beside Danny. Jack was driving them to the airport to take a private jet to the state of Pennsylvania. They had to do this stupid thing in another state. That bugged Martin even more. He couldn't even get away and escape to his apartment for a little piece of mind. At least he found comfort in knowing that he'd be with Danny and that both Jack and Sam were only a phone call. They'd be staying in a hotel in town, there for back-up if needed. And to keep Elena and Vivian in the loop back at the office.

The drive was a silent one, only the music on the radio making noise. The plan trip wasn't any better. Sam and Jack held a conversation in hushed tones. Martin tried to sleep, to drive away these worries that were beginning to build inside, that threatened to cause a panic attack. Another side affect of his ill-fated venture that night. Meanwhile, Danny spent a good portion of his time trying to figure out how to play this right, how to make Martin his before the end of the investigation. Every once and a while he'd steal a glance of his fellow agent and he noted that Martin wasn't feeling right, that something was bothering him. But he didn't bring it up for fear of causing him more problems.

When the got to the airport there were two cars waiting for them and large moving van. Jack and Sam got into the stereotypical black SUV. That left Martin and Danny with the blue sedan. The movers in the van were also agents and drove them to their new, temporary, home. The place was two stories, white siding with green-tinged shingles on the roof. The lawn was well kept and the driveway leading to the two-car garage well paved in uncracked concrete. A for sale sign with a sold stick stuck over it was still standing in the midst of the yard.

Danny parked the sedan in the driveway and climbed out. Martin followed suit, butterflies in his stomach. "Well, this is home sweet home? Not bad," Danny said, surveying the property while the moving van parked along the curb. "I've always wanted to try my hand at living in suburbia. Getting out of the city will be a nice change of pace, don't you think Martin?"

"Yeah," Martin replied absentmindedly. He was noticing that the moving van attracted the attention of a few of the neighbors. And he was so happy to see Jack pull into the driveway and park behind them.

They spent the remainder of the daylight hours moving boxes and furniture into the house, giving off the illusion that they really intended to live in the house, and for a while, they would be doing just that. Martin stuck pretty close during the process, chatting with her and helping her with the heavier things. Danny felt the familiar pangs of jealousy at watching the two of them being all buddy-buddy. He wanted to be the one that held Martin's attention. Finally, eventually, the moving process came to an end. The van pulled away, the agents inside returning to their office and then going to their homes, wherever they were. Jack bid them farewell, giving them the phone number and address of the hotel where they'd be staying. Danny noticed Sam give Martin a kiss on the cheek when they hugged good-bye. They watched the SUV pull out of the driveway.

"Sam is one hell of a woman," Danny stated, hoping to get a reaction, any reaction, from Martin.

"Yeah," Martin replied, only his voice sounded far away. The streetlights were coming on and he was starting to feel the effects of jet lag. "Look," he said, turning to Danny but not looking at him, "I think I'm going to hit the hay early. I'm tired and there's a lot of unpacking to do tomorrow. I'll see you in the morning."

Without waiting for an answer Martin disappeared into the house. Danny watched him go, feeling more and more confused. He wanted to us this time together to express their true feelings. He knew deep down that Martin hid a secret from the world, a secret that he had figured out while Martin dated Sam. It was a matter of getting Martin to admit to said secret that would be the hard part. But once it was done it would prove to have been worth all the trouble. Danny gave the neighborhood one more cursory glance before following Martin into the house.


	6. Back To Good

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, violence, slash, and language.**  
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**Chapter Six: Back to Good**

Martin sighed as he turned on the shower. He'd made it through his first night in the same bed with Danny without having a nightmare, or night terrors, as his doctor referred to them. His doctor. That still sounded wrong, even though he'd only been thinking it. No one knew that he'd been seeing a therapist. Not even his father. After the accident he'd became addicted to his pain killers and started acting off the cuff. That's what brought his problem to the forefront, that's what got Sam's attention and she was the one that told Danny. To this day Martin still held a bit of residual anger toward her. It had been his secret, his outlet from the pain, both physical and mental. But she figured that since Danny fought with substance abuse that he could help Martin. And after an argument, Martin agreed to attend one of those group meetings. As long as Danny was present. After the first five meetings Danny no longer felt the need to attend them with him, thinking it would help Martin to face the problem on his own. What Danny didn't know was that Martin had stopped going too.

Instead he'd started seeing a therapist about the dreams he'd been having lately. Most of them were dark, wandering through realms that made him increasingly uncomfortable. A good portion of them were just flashbacks to that night, maybe there details would change a little here and there. But the last night terror he'd had was awful. It left him sitting in bed with the lamp on for the remainder of the night, too afraid to move for fear of what he'd do. In the dream he'd taken his own life. That was the first time he dreamed of such a thing. Unfortunately it had not been the last.

He shed his clothes and stepped under the hot water, enjoying the feel of it on his skin. Maybe hanging out with Danny would be what he needed to set things right. Instead of worrying about how the people in the office saw him, he could just go about his daily life like nothing was wrong, ignore the stress that work put on him. He was stuck here in suburbia where he wasn't going to have to interview people that had been in the same boat as him or listen to people talk about rape and murder. He'd come into this with an air of melancholy. Maybe it was the break he needed to set himself right. With that new outlook he finished showering and got dressed, intending to go downstairs and start breakfast.

Only Danny wasn't in bed when he stepped out of the master bathroom and back into the bedroom. The bed, the only object in the room, was made and the clothes that Danny had worn the night before, his lounge pants and T-shirt, were folded neatly at the foot of the bed. Martin threw his own clothes into the closet, making a mental note to get the hamper set up in the bathroom before the end of the day. Then he remembered all the packing that loomed ahead of them. The task didn't sound like a lot of fun but it would be interesting to see what the boxes contained.

He headed for the stairs but stepped at the top, his foot in mid-air, when he heard Danny talking. And someone else reply. The female voice didn't belong to Sam. A creeping doubt began to wash over Martin as he slowly descended the stairs. He didn't know what scene late in wait for him in the kitchen, though judging by the sound of sizzling bacon there would be breakfast, and he was worried of blowing their cover before the case even officially began.

Steeling his spine for the confrontation he walked into the airy and bright kitchen. While he'd been showering Danny had been going through the boxes and pulled out pans and plates and other various kitchen items. There was a box of eggs on one counter and a jug of milk beside it. Martin was about to ask Danny when he'd had time to shopping but realize that the food must have been supplied by the local agents. He was happy to catch himself before making a mistake. Danny stood before a stove with a frying pan in hand, the source of the bacon smell. At a breakfast nook, sitting on stools watching Danny cook, was a man and a woman. They looked at Martin as he entered the room, making him stop short.

The cease in conversation drew Danny's attention to the entryway. He smiled when he saw Martin. "Good morning, sleepy head. Pull up a stool, breakfast is almost done."

Martin stood his ground, stupidly afraid to move. He liked guys but when it came to acting gay he was drawing a blank. All his life he'd been trying to act straight and he'd gotten so good at it that he almost believed the lie himself.

Danny noticed Martin's apprehension and tried to smooth out the road before it got bumpy. He turned to the couple. "You'll have to forgive him. I'm afraid that Marty isn't a morning person. And he can be so picky about his house that guests prove to be an issue with him. But I like having people around and keep telling him that he just has to deal with it. Lord knows that I deal with so many of his habits."

The woman smiled and laughed softy, understanding what Danny said. Martin felt the heat of a blush on his cheeks. He was upset that Danny would make up lies about him but realized that they were needed. After all, their entire lives were about to become a lie. Deciding that he could handle this, that he could be convincing, or at least nice, Martin walked into the room and took a seat beside the man.

The guy offered his hand. "Name's Bert Timmons. This here is my wife, Willow. We've become the welcoming committee, you could say. Most of the other residents, though nice, are too busy to make the first move. Willow and I don't work so we're always more than happy to make new people feel welcome."

"That's very generous of you," Martin said, surprised by the kindness of the people in suburbia. Maybe he should get out of the city more often.

Willow smiled. "Well, it also gives us a chance to gossip with you. Tell you what people to avoid, who does what, that sort of thing. Secrets aren't secrets long in this place and people respect that for some reason. It does manage to keep the peace though, as no one pisses each other off. Like ole Miss Grubber. She has a lot of cats and doesn't like people walking their dogs along the sidewalk in front of her house. So everyone crosses the street when the walk by her house. Because of that she continues to supply the yearly bake sale with her delicious baked goods." Willow took a sip of coffee. Just as Martin was about to ask for a cup Danny placed one in front of him. He flashed Danny a smile of thanks.

"So," Danny said, turning back to the stove, "what do you guys do for a living since you don't work?"

"Money left over from my parent's estate allowed for an early retirement," Bert responded. "Now my wife and I have all the time in the world to do all those things we've always wanted. And what, may I ask, do the two of you do?"

"I work as a consultant at an insurance company. It's boring work so trust me, you don't want to hear about it," Danny answered as he began to distribute the food to plates. "But Marty, he's just a house wife."

Martin thought the hot coffee was going to come out his mouth when he heard Danny say that. Instead he said the first thing that popped into his mind. "I may be a house wife but we both know who wears the pants in this relationship."

Everyone took a plate and moved to the kitchen table, also supplied and set up by the local agents. Martin wondered why they would go through all the trouble of getting the house ready but weren't willing to send their own agents to do the dirty task of going undercover. Then it came to him. Of course, the local FBI had been all over the place asking for information regarding the murders. Someone was bound to recognize a local agent before they recognized a pair from New York. The next two hours were spent sitting at the table eating and talking. Willow and Bert made sure to fill Danny and Martin in on all the gossip, all the does and don'ts about their neighbors. When it came to the end of the conversation Willow promised that they hold a get together in a few days so that they could meet everyone. Then they breezed out the door much the way they'd breezed in earlier.

A silence settled in their wake. Danny sipped his coffee before looking over the table at Martin. "Well, I think that went well, don't you?"

"I guess," Martin said slowly. "Was I convincing enough?"

Danny laughed. "I don't know. I think that comment you made about pink sparkles and how you thought Sam was crazy for wearing a flashy red gown as her wedding dress may have set your status as a gay man. Just remind me to tell Sam about it. Guess Jack is going to have to pretend to be her husband. I wonder how they'll take to that."

Gathering up dishes Martin said, "Does it really matter? They aren't the ones trying to decide what's proper and what comes across as too straight. They only have to lie and say that they're married."

Danny came up behind Martin while he placed the dirty dishes in the sink to be washed later. He placed a hand on the small of Martin's back, feeling his friend tense at the sudden touch. Leaning forward, he brought his lips close to Martin's ear, making sure that his breath would tickle the skin, and said, "And you only have to pretend that you love me."


	7. Damn

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, language, slash, and possible violence.

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**Chapter Seven: Damn**

A week passed and little by little Danny and Martin made themselves part of the community. Living the domestic life instead of going into the office every day took a little getting used to on both parts. After all, they now had a house and yard to take care of, people to deceive into thinking they weren't anything but what they appeared. And all seemed to be going really well. Danny took it upon himself to make sure the yard work was done. When Martin asked him why he wasn't allowed to help Danny told him because it was because he didn't know the first thing about mowing the grass or pulling weeds. Martin had grown up privileged. Danny hadn't, and even though he'd grown in the city he'd picked up a thing or two over the years. Taking care of the yard was his job and he made sure that Martin knew keeping the house clean was his. Secretly, Martin liked the arrangement. Especially when he looked out the window one afternoon to see Danny mowing without a shirt on.

Martin was content to do the little bit of cleaning required of him. The two of them made very little mess and it never took him long to put things straight. The boxes had been unpacked and things arranged the way that looked best in each room. Jack had dropped by three days ago to bring them a box of personal items to strew about the house. Most of them were photographs of Danny with Martin from past events, taken from their photo albums at home. There were pictures of them at a company picnic and out celebrating on the weekends that they didn't work. Martin placed them around the house in a manor that seemed fit. He didn't want them to be too prominent and prompt a lot of questions. He and Danny only had one story down and that was the one about how they met.

On this particular day, Friday, Danny was outside fiddling with something while Martin prepared the house. Tonight they were to host a little party with a few of the neighbors over. It had been Jack's idea that they try really hard to fit in, to get to know the people around them faster than they already were. Of course, Martin had used this as an opportunity to invite Jack and Sam along. Once Sam caught wind of the whole thing she wouldn't take no for an answer. However, she wasn't happy to hear that she'd worn a red dress at her wedding. Though being married to Jack didn't bother in the least.

At five Danny came back into the house through the backdoor that led into the kitchen. He had his shirt off and his honey colored skin was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Martin, who'd been toying with the food in the cabinets trying to decide what to serve, gave him a quick glance and felt something stir within him. Now he knew why Danny was such a lady's man.

"I'm going to run up and take a shower, get ready for this party," he said as he walked through the kitchen. "When are Sam and Jack going to get here?"

As if on cue the doorbell rang. "I'll get that. You go get clean." Martin headed for the front door without wasting another second. Being near Danny when he didn't have a shirt on was starting to make him feel weird. He approached the front door and opened it. Jack breezed in, talking on his cell phone to someone. Sam followed behind him, a dish of wrapped food in her hands. "Oh thank god," Martin said. "Please tell me you have some idea as to what to serve at a thing like this."

Sam smiled. "In need of a little assistance?"

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By six the food was all made up and placed on the coffee table in the living room. Danny was done with his shower. He'd dressed in black jeans and a form fitting blue T-shirt. Martin wore blue jeans and a red shirt for the simple fact that he didn't own a damn thing that made him look gay, well, as far as he could tell. The guests had arrived and were seated around the living room. Jack had taken a seat on the sofa with Sam to his right. Willow and Bert squeezed in on his left. They were happily chatting about cars and other things most people conversed about. Sitting on the loveseat was a couple that Willow had insisted be invited to the little get together. Probably because Allan and Tim were gay. If you asked Allan they'd been together for four years, Tim said six. Martin found it odd that the neighborhood was so openly accepting of gay people and yet someone was killing them. It bugged him.

As the night wore on they began to play games. First they played charades, which Martin thought was a little cliché. Jack and Sam ended up winning. They thought about playing a game of Battle of the Sexes but with only two females they thought better of it. That was, until Willow and Sam pressured them into it. And they ended up winning, too. Some suggested they play Dare as Martin got up to refill his glass. He felt a pang of fear in his stomach, slipping into the silent kitchen. Sam followed him.

"What's with the look?" she asked, adding more soda to her glass. They'd decided to steer clear of alcohol for the night. At least him, Danny, Jack and Sam had, the others were drinking beers. But they wanted to show their support in Danny's choice not to drink, and what better way to do that than not drink themselves? Though right about now Martin would have given anything to have a beer.

"Dare? They want to play Dare?" Martin shook his head. "What if…."

"They Dare you and Danny to do something that's….well…" She couldn't think of a polite way to put it.

"Yeah," Martin said flatly because he knew what she meant.

"Guess you'll just have to go along with it, that's the whole part of being undercover," she smiled mischievously. Then disappeared back into the living room.

Martin lingered a few minutes longer, washing the few dishes that were in the sink. None of their neighbors would think it was weird. Thanks to Danny most of them thought Martin had issues with obsessive compulsive disorder. Cleaning the dishes during a party seemed somehow fitting to him. When he shut off the water he could hear the hooting and hollering from the partiers. He sighed, thinking that he might as well return to them. Throwing a dish towel over the facet to dry he returned to the living room. To his surprise Tim and Allan were kissing.

Martin settled back into his spot in the lazy-boy chair where Danny perched on the arm. He gave Martin a look that sent butterflies fluttering in his stomach. Martin watched as Willow kissed Bert. He wondered what the 'dare' had been when Danny leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Willow dared everyone to kiss their mate."

Martin thought he was going to have a heart attack right there in the living room with everyone around him. He'd have to kiss Danny, right there in front of them. He could feel his heart racing, and knew that most of the color had probably drained from his face. How was he going to kiss Danny? In front of Jack and Sam? Surely his father thought that this might happen and yet he'd still sent his only son undercover. He watched as Jack gave Sam a gentle yet passionate kiss and knew that in a matter of seconds everyone would expect them to do the same. He closed his eyes, tried to slow his heart, and practically jumped out of his skin when he felt Danny place a hand on his shoulder.

"You'll have to forgive Marty; he's a touch bashful when it comes to public displays of affection. I'm not sure we're going to be able to do this," Danny said, having noted Martin's growing panic and discomfort. Even though he wanted more than anything to lay one on him.

Bert looked at them, his arm around Willow's shoulders. "You know what happens if you don't do a dare…"

"Well, I don't particularly feel like stripping down and running around the house naked," Danny mused. "And I'm pretty sure Martin doesn't want to either…"

"Then you have to kiss," said Tim, eyeing them somewhat curiously.

Martin felt Danny's finger under his chin as he directed Martin to look up. Danny's deep brown eyes gazed into his and Martin couldn't make out the emotions that he saw in them. All he could think about was that he had to kiss Danny. In front of all these people. He could have sworn that his heart stopped, that he was just going to drop dead. At least that would be an alternative to having to do this with them all watching. He closed his eyes again as Danny drew close and in the next instance he felt Danny's warm lips touching his. And before he knew it he could attest to how good a kisser Danny really was as something inside him stirred.


	8. Argue

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer:** Angst, slash, language, and violence.

**Author Note: Thank you to everyone that takes the time to review my stories. You guys bring a smile to my face and are proof that some people actually like what I write. Thank you!**

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**Chapter Eight: Argue**

Martin sat on the end of the bed with his head in his hands. How could he have let things get that far? Why did he just sit there and let Danny plant one on him? He felt ashamed, scared, and above everything else he felt confused. The fact that he'd been kissed by Danny in front of his boss and a fellow co-worker should have unsettled him, and it did to a certain degree. But he'd also found himself oddly turned on by the whole event. The heat from Danny's lips still lingered on his and he wished it would go away. He wished the whole damn case would just go away so that they could return home, return to their normal lives. Ever since his father told them they were doing this things had been fucked up; now they were worse.

And none of it seemed to be bothering Danny. The dare had been for everyone to kiss. Jack kissed Sam without batting an eyelash but they'd had a fling years ago. They might even be rekindling their romance, using their time out of the office to pick-up where they left off. But they'd witnessed him sharing a kiss with Danny. He felt like his heart was going to tear a hole in his chest. He'd been able to quickly excuse himself, using the lie that Danny perpetrated. Not that it proved to be much of a lie. He wasn't really into kissing in front of large groups of people. It always made him blush the bright shade of a fire engine. He hated it.

Now he just wanted to understand the feelings that were coursing through his body. On some level he'd always admired Danny. The way he carried himself, the way he could walk up to a woman and strike up a conversation. Danny had so much going for him. He'd grown-up in a bad situation and turned out to be a very caring and understanding guy. Martin was aware of the problem Danny had with alcohol but everyone fell off the wagon at some point in their life. After all, he'd gotten addicted to his pain medication. One of the things that always bugged him was Danny's drive to be best at his job and the way he never hesitated on a case. Martin knew he didn't have those qualities. He grew up in a life of privilege and money. Even though he'd been working with Jack for years, and highly respected his boss, he was still usually known as Victor Fitzgerald's son. He hated it. He wanted to carve his own path in life. Maybe entering the FBI had been a big mistake.

He fell back onto the bed, staring at the white ceiling. He closed his eyes and tried to wish all his problems away, praying that when he opened his eyes everything would be okay, everything would be back to normal. Instead he heard the door open and then close softly. He heard the sound of footsteps on the carpeted floor.

"What do you want?" he asked, not bothering to open his eyes to see who it was. He _knew_ who it was. He could smell Danny's aftershave.

"You sure do know how to make an exit, don't you?" he asked.

Martin opened his eyes and sat up. "I'm sorry; did I ruin your little get together?"

"Fitzy, you had to figure this was going to happen at some point during this case," Danny said in an attempt to be reasonable. "We're supposed to be a happily joined gay couple. Kissing is expected of us or people or going to start talking. They might even accidentally blow our cover."

"Big fucking deal," Martin said with more force than he'd meant to. He no longer cared to be part of this case. He just wanted to go home. Let their cover be blown, let them get sent back to New York. He found that he actually missed the constant sounds of the city. This suburban life wasn't his style anymore.

"You're an ass, Martin," Danny stated.

"Excuse me?" He couldn't, wouldn't believe that Danny had just said that to him. Sure, as friends they'd had their fair share of arguments but never had one of them been so blunt before.

"You sit there on that bed thinking that you're better than everyone else, that this case is beneath you," Danny started off. "But you know what? I'm not blind, Martin. I can see the emotions on your face. I felt you react when we kissed, and let me say; you didn't seem to have a problem with it while it was happening. But the minute it's done you run away like a little kid. Sam was going to come up here and check on you but Jack insisted that I do it since we're supposed to be a couple."

"We could never be a couple," Martin said, surprised to hear himself saying that. Where had those words come from?

Danny crossed the room in one step and shoved Martin back onto the bed, straddling him. "And why is that, Martin? Is it because you're rich and I'm just some poor troubled guy off the street living a lie? Is that why we could never be together? God, you're an ass, just like I said you were."

"Get off of me," Martin said. He'd never seen Danny so riled up before and it was starting to scare him. He wished this conversation had never been started. He wanted to close his eyes and fall asleep so that he could miraculously wake-up in his own bed in the morning.

But Danny was having none of that.

He bent down and for the second time that night he kissed Martin. Their lips once again touching. Martin felt that familiar stir below the belt as the kiss grew from a forced profession of love to something more, something that sparked heat in the depths of Martin's soul. He didn't like the way this simple kiss was making him feel. He felt awash in the ocean, lost at sea. He felt every little bit of himself as it reacted to the kiss. He was acutely aware of every place Danny's body touched his. And then he felt like he was drowning. He wanted to cling to Danny for dear life but something kept him from reaching out and wrapping his arms around Danny.

And just like that it ended. Danny pulled away, stood up and walked out of the room leaving Martin lying on the bed, cold, alone and confused.


	9. Kody

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, violence, slash, and language.

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**Chapter Nine: Kody**

The following week went by like hell. Martin didn't say much to Danny and vice versa. Neither one of them wanted to bring up the events of that night, but neither one of them was actually able to forget about it. The kiss, the way it made each of them feel. Danny wanted to do it again. He wanted to wrap his arms around Martin and let his friend know just how he felt about him. He was tired of waiting for the Fitzgerald to figure things out. Yes, Danny knew. He had always known about Martin. Poor little confused Martin who wasn't willing to step up and admit that he preferred men over women. Probably something to do with his strict father. But he didn't care. He was selfish; he wanted Martin all for himself. And he would find a way to make it happen while they worked undercover. If all worked out the way he planned then they would be returning to New York as a couple, not just mere friends. And perhaps Victor would blame himself; after all, it had been his idea to send the two of them undercover.

If only Danny weren't such a gentleman. He'd make his moves and forget about Martin's own feelings. But he couldn't do that. Martin meant the world to him and the last thing he wanted to do was chase him away.

Meanwhile, Martin was trying to sort things out in his head and getting nowhere fast. Part of him liked the idea of kissing Danny and having him near. That same part of him wanted to do things with Danny that were only suitable behind closed doors. He really wished that he could be that part of himself, to take control of his life and do what he wanted to do for once. But the Fitzgerald part of him kept winning. He could hear his father's disapproval; feel the angered glare of the FBI director. He hated that things between him and Danny had changed. As much as he liked the kiss he was wishing that it had never happened. He wanted things back the way that they had been, at least then he would be on speaking terms with Danny.

It wasn't that he didn't want to speak with Danny, that was far from the truth. The problem was that he did not know what to say. He had never been so confused in his life and he hated it. Where was the Martin that was in control? The Fitzgerald in his bloodlines? Where was the son that his father had hoped to raise? Easy, that man had never existed. Martin had to be honest with himself; he had never been the son that his father wanted him to be. And he'd proved that when he got addicted to painkillers. Fitzgerald's don't get addicted to drugs or alcohol. They are stand-up citizens in the community, people to be talked about and admired. Never looked down upon.

That was, until he'd come along. He shamed his family right and left.

Martin sighed. Danny had gone off some time in the early hours without saying where it was that he was headed. Probably to see Jack and Sam. That left Martin with a lot of free time and nothing to do. So he grabbed a basketball and headed out the front door. He used to play a lot of games with Danny as a way to stay in shape and also as a way to waste time together. The hoop had been put up the day after they moved in and had yet to be used. Probably because everything had spiraled out of control as such a fast rate. Now he occupied himself with shooting hoops, thinking all the while that there had to be something he could do to make things right between him and Danny. But what?

He made his fourth basket in a row when someone interrupted his game. The guy had short blond hair and the bluest eyes Martin had ever seen. And when the stranger smiled he had two perfect dimples. "Hey," they guy said, his voice a touch too friendly. "You're new to the neighborhood, right? I'm Kody Freesdale. I live down the block."

"Martin," he said. He and Danny hadn't spent much time working on last names or even cover stories. As far as Martin could tell Danny had been making things up as they went along and now he realized that he had no clue what Danny had said about them to other neighbors. He felt a faint fluttering of butterfly wings in his stomach.

Kody nodded in the direction of the hoop. "Looks like you could use a little competition. What do you say?"

"Sure," Martin shrugged. He saw no harm in playing a friendly game of basketball with one of their neighbors. After all, the whole point of being undercover was to track down a criminal of hate crimes and that meant spending time with each and every person on the street. Basketball games were a good way to get a conversation started and they made people feel like they actually knew each other. A good opportunity had presented itself to Martin and he wanted to grasp the bull by the horns, figuratively speaking.

They played for an hour, working up a sweat that led both of them to remove their shirts. They continued to play even when a rainstorm settled over the place. They should have stopped when the first drops of rain appeared. They should have said their goodbyes and parted ways but instead they kept playing. And because of that Martin's situation got worse. It all started with the rain soaking the basketball and making it hard to hold. The slippery ball made the game more entertaining to the two of them as they tried to beat one another out of a tie game. But just like the ball getting soaked, the soles of their sneakers were compromised by the excess amount of water on the driveway. One thing led to another as they both dove for the ball and slipped. The next thing Martin knew he was lying on the ground with Kody on top of him. The both of the started laughing at their own foolish stupidity. And Martin admitted to himself that he felt great, having played away his troubles.

That's when the dark cloud passed over.

"Well, isn't this an interesting picture," they heard someone say. Martin looked toward the end of the driveway, no easy task in his current position, and saw Danny standing there, quickly getting soaked by the rain. "Who's your little friend, Martin?"

Kody quickly stood up and offered a hand to Martin, who gladly took it. "Name's Kody," the neighbor introduced himself. "We were just playing a game of b-ball and I guess we got a little to into the competition."

Martin didn't want Danny making any snide remarks in front of Kody so he said the first thing that came into his mind, the one thing that had been bugging him all day. "Where have you been? I got up this morning and you were gone. No note or anything." Then in an attempt to lighten the mood and remind Danny that they were undercover he said, "I thought maybe you ran away with that guy down at the community pool."

Danny smiled, slipping into the role that had been assigned to him. "And leave you? Never. I just had to take a trip into the office and I didn't want to wake you. When you sleep you look like an angel and I just don't have the heart to wake you."

"You could have called."

"I'm sorry, Marty."

Kody looked at his watch. "I hate to run but I'm going to be late for a dinner date with my parents if I don't get home to shower and change. It was nice meeting you both. You need to be careful with him," Kody said to Danny as he walked by. "They guy plays a mad game of b-ball."

"I know," Danny muttered under his breath as he watched Kody jog down the sidewalk. He took one last look at Martin before heading into the house without another word. What was he supposed to say? He couldn't stay near Martin. Not when he was standing there without a shirt, soaked to the bone. It stirred things inside of Danny that he knew he had to ignore, though it was getting harder and harder by the day.

Martin followed him into the house like a lost puppy and stood in the kitchen dripping water on the floor. Danny threw him a towel before opening the fridge and digging around inside. "Where were you really?"

"I went for a drive. I needed a bit of time to think and I thought I'd familiarize myself with the city a bit more." Danny stood, a can of soda in his hand. "I would have invited you but we haven't exactly been speaking to each other."

"I'm sorry, Danny. I-"

Danny put up his hand. "Don't. Just don't." Without another word he turned and walked out of the room. Leaving Martin feeling cold and lousy. And more alone then he'd ever felt before.


	10. Busted

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, language, slash, and possible violence.

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**Chapter Ten: Busted**

Danny was sitting on the bed in the small hotel room while Sam did whatever errand it was that she needed to do that could not possibly wait until later. He sighed heavily, the pain in his heart nearly unbearable. He'd come here to talk to Sam about being removed from the case. He loved Martin and he knew it with all his heart. He would have been lying if he told anyone he hadn't been even the littlest bit happy about being sent undercover the way they were. Undercover with Martin, being alone, one on one with the man that stole his heart. And the best part was that they had to pretend they were a couple. It should have been bliss, a time for him to remember always. Maybe the right time to make his move. Instead he found that he wanted to pull out. He couldn't stand being around Martin anymore. They hardly spoke to each other. And Danny understood that he was part of the problem. He would have made things better if he thought it possible but he just didn't know what to say.

He flopped back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling, wondering where Sam had gotten to. He would have gone to Jack. However, the head of their department had returned to New York for a few days to help the others on another case. Sam had mumbled something about a Judge's daughter or something else along those lines. She was left behind to be their go-to person. And they had the full support of the Pennsylvania field office. It just wasn't the same though. He liked to have people he knew watching his back. As he heard a key turn in the lock he realized that he'd let his mind wander. He sat up as Sam rushed back into the room and slammed the door. Even though she was wearing a hat, a raincoat, and had an umbrella in one hand she looked drenched.

"Fucking rain," she cursed. "How much longer is it going to rain? It's been what, two days? I heard on the radio that rivers are starting to flood. I'd better not get stranded out here."

Danny smiled. "You could be stranded in the house with me and Martin."

"I take it not everything is okay in paradise?" she asked, slipping out of her jacket and hanging it over the shower rod in the small bathroom.

"Are you kidding me? I feel like I'm working with a ticking time bomb," he stated. "Don't get me wrong, I love Martin, but this is getting ridiculous. How are we supposed to come across as a convincing gay couple if we aren't even talking to each other? Yeah, when the others come around we slip on the phony smiles and make the corny jokes and remarks but even I can tell it's fake. There is no way we're fooling people. This was a bad idea. Jack should find a different pair of agents for this. I'm supposed to find missing people. Not help with hate crimes and murders."

"Slow down," Sam said, sinking into the bed beside him. "Jack did not assign you to this case, Victor did. Though I'm not sure why. And it's too late to pull out now."

"No it's not."

She chewed her bottom lip and looked away from him.

"You know something I don't?"

"Yeah, but I promised Jack that I wouldn't say anything."

"Come on, Sam. You can tell me, I won't let on that I know," Danny pushed, wanting to hear what the big secret was.

She sighed, not even trying hard to keep the secret. "Someone's been asking questions about you guys. We haven't gotten a confirmation and the description is very sketchy, but you've caught someone's eye. And there's a good chance it's the guy we're looking for. If you pull out now then everything will fall apart and we could lose him. Someone else could get hurt. Knowing you, you can't let that happen. It wouldn't be fair."

Danny didn't understand what she was saying, that last part completely lost on him. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, come on, Danny," she rolled her eyes, smiling from ear to ear. "Could you make it any more obvious that you love Martin? And I don't mean that in a friend-sort of way. You want to jump his bones. I can see it in your eyes when you look at him."

By now Danny was blushing.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Your secret is safe with me."

"It had better be," Danny said, getting up and heading for the door. He opened it and looked back over his shoulder, a smile on his face. "Or your little secret about sharing a one-bed hotel room with Jack might find its way through the office." She threw a pillow at the door as it closed, a giggle passing through her lips.

Back at the house Danny tried to look up. As much as he would rather get out of suburbia and back to the city he knew that what Sam had said was true. He couldn't let someone else get hurt for something they had no control over. Just like he had no control over his feelings for Martin. When he first realized how much he liked Martin he kept telling himself to stop it, that the feelings weren't right and that they would only mess things up in the long run. But as the days went by and he worked more and more with Martin he realized that his feelings were deeply rooted in his heart. Pulling them out might just kill him. No matter how much he tried to deny the truth he faced the truth that his heart wanted Martin.

After his chat with Sam he thought that maybe it was time to corner Martin. It was well past the time for them to have a heart to heart. If they were going to pull of the investigation then they had to be more convincing. Maybe come up with some elaborate back story or plan a dinner party. Something to further their presence in the neighborhood and attract the attention of a bad person. He left his coat and his shoes in the kitchen and went in search of Martin. He checked the living room, the dining room, the office, and all of the bedrooms but the house was empty. Martin wasn't there. A nervous flutter made itself known in his stomach. Something wasn't right. There wasn't any evidence that something bad had happened in his absence but he couldn't shake the feeling that something had indeed happened to Martin. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket, intent on calling Martin's cell phone when the phone beside the bed rang. The sudden noise in the otherwise quiet house made him jump.

"Hello?" he said, not wasting any time in picking up the handset. Very few people had the number to the main phone line. And he knew, as they had discussed, that if it were Sam or Jack the call would be placed to a cell phone.

"Is this Mr. Taylor?"

"Yes," he replied, racking his brain to see if he recognized the voice. He quickly thought about the falsified files that Jack and Victor had created in case someone decided to do a background check on him or Martin. He wasn't sure why that tidbit of information popped into his head. Maybe it had something to do with the nervous flutter in his stomach. "May I ask who this is?"

"Mr. Taylor, this is Officer Kincaid down at the precinct-"

"What is this pertaining to?" He didn't have the strength to listen to some long drawn out explanation. He needed to know why the cops were calling him.

"Well, sir, we arrested a Mr. Fitzgerald that says he's your significant other."

"You arrested Martin? On what charges?" Danny said as he sat on the edge of the bed, his legs going weak. What had Martin done that they had arrested him? Martin never broke the law and this was the last thing they needed while being undercover. Jack was going to be furious, never mind how pissed Victor would be.

"I think you'd better come down here, Mr. Taylor."


	11. Shame

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, violence, slash, and langauge.

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**Chapter Eleven: Shame**

The chair he was currently occupying was uncomfortable but he didn't really expect much else from a piece of plastic in a police precinct. These people were paid to keep bad guys off the streets, not to make people comfortable. He bent forward, placing his elbows on his legs and clasping his hands. How could he have let this happen? As an FBI agent he went out of his way to do his job, to follow the law, and to keep shame from sticking to his family's name. But all of that changed with one stupid mistake. A mistake that he made months ago and now it was haunting him again. Why had he allowed himself to become so fucked up? He shouldn't be sitting in the precinct. He should have counted himself lucky they didn't lock him behind bars. But none of that really mattered to him.

He'd been arrested.

What would it do for the case? How was Jack going to take the news? And he didn't even want to think about his father. The whole case had been nothing but trouble. He hated it. He wanted to go back to the city, be able to live his life instead of a lie. At first he'd thought that spending a lot of time with Danny would be fun. Best friends living together, not really having to deal with the troubles of day to day office work. It was actually quite pleasant. In his head, anyway. The actual case was anything but. He missed his best friend. He and Danny weren't even on speaking terms and it made him feel miserable. And because of that he'd gone and fucked everything up. He let his emotions get the best of him. How was he supposed to explain this to Danny? Why did he have the officer call Danny? He should have called Sam. She would have come down in a hurry and explained everything, freed him of his charges. But instead he'd given them the number for Danny's cell and now he was going to have to face a judge to find out what his sentencing was. Even Jack couldn't dig him out of this hole. His father, maybe, but that meant asking Victor to do a favor and Martin hated being indebted to his father.

He clasped his fingers behind his head and closed his eyes, trying in vain not to let the emotions take over. He was so confused, so messed up inside that nothing was making sense anymore. He felt like he was doing battle with himself and neither side was winning. Part of him wanted what Danny was offering, wanted to jump into bed with his best friend and let things take their own course. Another part of him kept telling him how unprofessional it was, how wrong it all was. The inner turmoil, the inner conflict, was chipping away at his sanity. That had to be the only explanation for his mistakes.

"Mr. Fitzgerald, your ride is here for you," a red-headed lady said to him. He thanked her and went out into the front of the building. Danny looked at him but didn't say anything. Martin could tell, though, from the look in Danny's eyes that he knew why Martin had been arrested. To say that Martin didn't look forward to the ride home would have been an understatement. He thought of walking out the door and heading into town on foot to find Sam and tell her he wanted out. He wanted to be free of everything that was dragging him down.

He followed Danny outside into the drizzle and climbed in on the passenger side. Just like the inner battle of right and wrong, he found himself torn between actually wanting to have the conversation he knew was coming and running with his tail tucked between his legs. Danny closed the driver's side door and put the key in the ignition but didn't start the car. Martin wasn't up for silence. He could not handle the silence. But Danny spoke first.

"I'm going to tell Sam to inform Jack that you'll be returning to New York," he said slowly, calmly. It reminded Martin of the calm before the storm. "I'll just tell the neighbor's that you're away visiting family, that there was an emergency. They'll understand."

Martin didn't really know what to say so he said the only thing that sounded right. "I'm sorry, Danny."

"You're sorry?" Danny turned his dark brown eyes in Martin's direction. "You fell off the wagon, Martin. You can't just say sorry, it doesn't make things better. Dammit," he hit the steering wheel with the palm of his hand. "If I had known spending so much time with me would have this effect on you I would have told them all no. This never should have happened."

"It's not your fault," Martin tried to tell him.

"Not my fault? Of course it's my fault, at least in part," replied Danny. "Things have gotten bad between us in a short span of time. You're going home before you fuck up any further."

Martin wanted to get angry. He wanted to scream and yell at Danny but his heart wasn't in it. His friend wasn't at fault. Martin was old enough to make his own choices and he'd taken a wrong turn. He had stopped trying to be perfect a long time ago. Since he couldn't find it within himself to get angry he decided to see if he could make Danny understand. "Haven't you ever wanted to give in? How do you ignore the constant need, Danny? How is it that you live your life never giving up, never slipping just a little?"

When Martin looked at Danny he found that his friend's eyes had softened a little. "Of course I feel the need, Martin. Every addict does. But with time it fades away. It becomes this thought, this action, buried deep in the back of your mind. And when situations get tough it takes that opportunity to step out of the shadows. When that happens I spend time with the people that care about me and I'm reminded why I don't drink anymore. It's going to be a constant struggle for the rest of my life but I don't give in because I'd be giving up on everyone and everything that I love."

"I'm sorry," Martin apologized again. "I just….I feel like I'm drowning in my own sorrow and confusion. Nothing makes sense anymore."

"Then talk to someone," Danny said. "You can't let your thoughts fester. They'll only end up killing you."

"Talk to who?"

Danny sighed somewhat sadly. "If you can't talk to me then talk to Sam or Vivian. Hell, talk to Jack. They care, they'll listen."

Martin chose not to say anything.

"I want the bottle," Danny spoke. "I want the bottle as soon as we get home. If there's more than one, then I want them both. I want all of the pills, Martin. This isn't going to happen again." He finally started the car. "And if you'd like, I can drop you off at the hotel so you can talk with Sam. Unfortunately Jack is out of the state for a few days."

"No, just take me home."


	12. Hang

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Slash, language, angst, some violence.

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**Chapter Twelve: Hang**

Sam was flipping through files. They were background checks on everybody in the neighborhood where Danny and Martin were staying. She had a sick feeling that one of the so-called friendly neighbors was actually the criminal they were looking for. An agent had brought her the files earlier that morning. She'd propped a pillow against the headboard, leaned against it, and hadn't moved since. Hours went by and still, she flipped through the paperwork looking for anything suspicious and getting nowhere fast. She sighed, wondering what they were going to do if they couldn't find the guy. At least they had the evidence to prove that it was a guy. That didn't mean that the women in the community got off scot-free. One of them had to know something. Someone knew something but no one was talking. That was the problem. No one liked to get involved.

She put the files aside and rested her head back against the wall, closing her eyes. Late last night she'd received a call from Danny. He'd been whispering and for a fleeting moment she'd been afraid that something bad was going on, that they'd been targeted and the "problem" taken care of. But he just wanted to tell her about Martin's little drug bust in hopes that she could find a way to get the charges dropped. After hanging up she had placed a call into Jack, knowing that she would wake him up. She explained the circumstances to their boss only to get bad news. Jack wasn't going to do anything about Martin's misjudgment. He couldn't risk there being a leak in the police station. Maybe if they knew for a fact that the person wasn't an officer of the law but until then Martin was going to have to deal with having a record. She had hung-up a little dismayed though she understood what Jack was saying.

The whole case really bothered her. They were putting too much pressure on Martin and Danny to act like a convincing gay couple. Had any of them taken the time to stop and think about how it affected the guys? She had worked with Danny longer and for that reason knew him better than Martin. Danny loved to flirt with women but deep down inside he liked to be with men. She found it troubling that Danny wanted Martin and there wasn't a thing she could do about. Hell, she couldn't even tell Danny if Martin liked guys. Sure, she had dated the agent but they never talked about past relationships so she was clueless. He could be straight or bi-sexual, or even a really confused gay. All that really mattered at the moment was their wellbeing. If the pressure was enough to make Martin break, what would it do to Danny?

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At that precise moment Danny was out at the grocery store replacing the things they'd used and buying a few extras for a special dinner. He wanted to treat Martin to something nice. And that meant that Martin was at home alone when there was a loud bang at the front door. Martin jumped. He'd been sitting in the living room with the curtains closed, the soft glow of a lamp lighting the room enough for him to read a book. He'd been enjoying the peace and quiet, finally feeling better, a bit lighter than he had the last few days. There was still tension between him and Danny but after last night a good portion of it had faded away. He'd been thinking that maybe in another day or two things would be back to normal. He welcomed that thought. He even made him smile, made him feel hopeful that all would be okay in the long run. The sound at the door was sudden and unexpected, making him jump and drop his book, losing his page. Without wasting a moment of thought he reached under the couch and pulled out a pistol. It was one of many hidden throughout the house as safety measures. This particular one had been secured to the bottom of the sofa with a strip or two of masking tape.

He clutched the comforting metal in his hand, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Something was going to happen, he just didn't know what. Exactly five minute later a second thud shook the door. This time Martin fell to the floor, sitting with the couch to his back and the coffee table in front of him. Crouched, he crept his way toward the door, half expecting someone to break in, smashing the lock and hoping to catch him off guard. He didn't realize he was holding his breath until he let it out slowly. He wished more than anything that Danny would walk through the kitchen door. He didn't want to be alone. He thought about phoning Sam but his cell phone was in the kitchen where he'd left it after lunch. He silently cursed.

Moments passed in silence; first five, then ten. He realized that nothing else was going to happen so he stood, but kept the gun clutched in his hand, safety off, just in case. On measured steps he walked toward the front door making sure to stay off to one side instead of approaching it head-on. Slowly, carefully, he leaned toward the door, toward the peephole. But his view of the front step was blacked out. Something was covering the peephole. He leaned back against the wall and opened the door, letting it swing into the foyer freely. No one started shooting. There was nothing but the sounds of a typical suburban neighborhood; children laughing and playing, dogs parking, the occasional car, joggers, the sounds of skateboards. He eased his grip on the gun, grabbed the object off the door and slammed it shut before heading back into the safety of the house.

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Danny parked in the garage like he always did. Jack had made it clear that he and Martin were always to park in the garage and not to get out of the car until the garage door closed. Once he was sure that the metal door stood between him and anyone trying to kill him he climbed out of the car and retrieved his bag of groceries from the backseat. He opened the door that led into the kitchen, humming to himself as he did so. It wasn't until he set the paper bag on the counter that he realized something was off. The air felt electric, charged. He'd felt it before. He looked around the kitchen and spotted Martin's cell phone on the counter.

"Martin?" he called out, knowing that he could very well be giving his position away to a killer.

There wasn't a reply. He swallowed nervously as bad images raced through his mind. He knew there was a gun near the entryway that led into the kitchen from the foyer. He walked toward it quietly and saw a shadow, a human form, in the living room across the foyer. He stopped in his tracks like a deer in the headlights. He was puzzled. For some reason Martin was sitting on the couch, an open book on the floor. Martin held a piece of paper in his hands. Something had happened while he was gone. Something bad.

"Martin? Are you okay?" he asked, walking into the room. His friend turned troubled eyes on him and handed him the piece of paper without saying anything. Danny took it. "'Your kind doesn't belong on this planet. You're a plight, a disease that needs to be eradicated. And I will make sure that you are disposed of before you corrupt the innocence'," he read aloud. Under the message was a picture of that day in the rain when he'd come home to find Martin playing a game of basketball with some guy named Kody. The writer of the note had used a red marker to draw 'X's over both him and Martin. He looked at Martin. "Have you called Sam?"

Martin shook his head slowly. That's when Danny noticed that his fellow agent still clutched firmly to pistol. He placed the note on the table and sat across from Martin. He placed his hand on Martin's, hoping the contact would prompt him to release his hold on the gun. It didn't work. Martin's eyes were vacant, lost, looking at things that weren't there. The fear had taken hold of him and was dragging him down into its depths where he would make irrational choices. Danny had to do something to pull him back to the here and now. So he did the only thing he could think of that would get Martin's attention. He kissed him. As their lips touched he felt Martin's grip relax on the gun so he took it, placing it on the table at his side. But he didn't pull away. He couldn't pull away. Despite what the note said he didn't think of his love for Martin as a disease. He saw it as a blessing. Plus, how could he pull away when it seemed like Martin was finally starting to respond in kind?


	13. Angry

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, language, slash, and slight violence.

**Author Note: **Do you guys have any problems with me replying to your reviews?

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**Chapter Thirteen: Angry**

"Have a seat, Jack, I can't stand to watch you pace back and forth," Sam said from where she was sitting on the bed. Her boss had returned late the night before and fallen asleep without saying a word. Now that the sun had claimed hold of the sky he was rested and not even the slightest bit happy. "You knew about all of this; I told you over the phone."

"That doesn't make it okay," he replied, plopping into the only chair in the room. "Maybe pulling them out is a good idea. What kind of friend am I if I didn't even consider the affects the stress would place on them? It's my fault that Martin fell off the wagon and if Danny follows him then I'll never forgive myself."

"Jack, it is not your fault," Sam tried to reassure him. "There's more going on here than you realize. You need to open your eyes and see what is really there."

"What the hell are you blubbering on about?"

She rolled her eyes. She didn't understand how guys could be so blind, especially her boss. Yeah, none of them had noticed Martin's addiction at first but Jack had been the last to know. He hadn't even noticed that his team had been hiding something from him. And now she found that he wasn't able to see the truth behind the stress Martin and Danny were dealing with.

"Let me spell this out for," she said slowly, trying to think of a way to make him come to the conclusion himself so that she wouldn't feel guilty telling him Danny's secret. Not that Danny had forbidden her to tell anyone how he felt. "Danny hasn't had a girlfriend in quite a while, and my relationship with Martin failed; for reasons I won't get into. Danny and Martin are the best of friends. They are now undercover as a gay couple and we know that they've done the undercover thing before, so why all the added stress? Remember that night we had dinner with them and their friends and played Truth or Dare? Remember what happened?"

Jack looked at her a moment before saying, "Are you trying to say what I think you're saying?"

"What is it that you think I'm trying to say?" she smiled coyly.

"That they aren't pretending anything…?"

"Well, that's close enough," she sighed, getting up and walking toward the window. "Only one of them is pretending, for the time being. I think Danny's pretty set in his ways and I believe that he wants Martin."

"But Martin-"

"Is most likely confused," she finished. "Speaking of the boys, they just pulled into the parking lot." She let the curtain drop back into place. She turned to Jack with a frown on her face. "There wasn't a scheduled meeting today, was there?"

He shook his head. "No, we aren't supposed to see them until the day after tomorrow, unless there's an emergency."

They waited in the silence that followed. Each of them thinking that something horrible had happened. Sam watched Danny climbed out of the car with something in his hand and start for the stairs that led to the second floor room. From where she stood she couldn't tell if Martin was in the car or not. Meanwhile Jack was musing over the idea of Danny and Martin as a couple and how Victor would take it. He personally had no problem with it, but Martin's dad would most likely blow a valve. He was also greatly worried about the health of both Danny and Martin. Sam could tell him all she wanted that it wasn't his fault Martin got arrested; that he fell off the wagon, but that didn't make the guilt go away. He agreed to go along with this knowing that Martin was still recovering from his addiction. An addiction that his father knew nothing about. There was a knock at the door and Sam opened it, admitting Danny.

"I know we aren't supposed to see you guys for another day or so but I had to get this out of the house," he said, handing the envelope to Sam. "I can't stand to have it around Martin anymore. It scares him, and quite frankly, I find it a little unnerving myself."

Sam pulled the note out of the envelope, read it, and then handed it to Jack who did the same. He frowned. "Who's the guy in the picture with you and Martin?"

"A local resident named Kody. He had been playing basketball with Martin when I came home," Danny explained. "I can't recall having seen him since that day, though."

"Do you have a last name for him?"

"Martin might."

Jack chewed his bottom lip. "I'm pretty sure we can track down Kody without Martin's help. How is he holding up by the way?" Jack asked, putting the note back into the envelope and placing it in a desk drawer.

"If you're talking about the pills, I flushed them," explained Danny. "That note gave him a good scare. I came home from grocery shopping to find him sitting on the sofa with a gun in his hand. He's down in the car right now. We're on our way to a party, sort of like a welcome-to-the-neighborhood thing. I really hate to drag him out where he doesn't want to be but explained to him that we had to at least make an appearance. Plus, maybe we'll run into Kody or get some idea of who we're looking for."

"Hoping for some gossip?" Sam inquired.

"A whole shit load," Danny smiled before leaving.

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Martin sat on the uncomfortable sofa with a plastic cup of soda in one hand. Music pulsed from the speakers near the ceiling. The room was full of people, some dancing, others talking. A buffet table was set-up against one wall with a wide variety of food, including same dishes that Martin had been forced to ask Danny about. They spent the first hour mingling with the others and danced to one or two songs to keep up appearances. Been then Martin decided he needed to sit and think about a few things so Danny said he would use the opportunity to continue mingling and see what he could gather. He had been happy to take a break and sit on the sofa, thinking how nice it would be once he could sort out the thoughts in his head. But he hadn't been able to even start, what with one person after another sitting beside him a striking up a conversation. He now knew a lot about his neighbors but not a thing that would help them solve the case.

And as he scanned the room for the umpteenth time he realized that Kody wasn't there.

Danny, who was standing in the corner talking to someone in a business suit, had brought up the fact that the guy seemed to have gone missing. And Martin had to agree. He hadn't glimpsed Kody since that day. He was worried that because of them something had happened to the young man. He hoped that they were just jumping to conclusion and that Kody was busy doing work or had taken a vacation or had some other plausible reason for being gone.

He looked out at the clouded sky and wondered if the sun was ever going to show its face again. It had been there earlier in the morning only to be quickly covered by a thick layer of gray rain clouds. However, the rain had yet to fall. Getting up he threw his empty cup into a wastebasket and headed for the front door. He wanted a little fresh air, some peace and quiet. Then he'd fake a headache if he had to, anything to get Danny to leave the party. The air outside was degrees cooler than the room inside and he inhaled the smell of the plants and the dampness. He tried not to think about the kiss from last night. He'd been so scared and then Danny…He frowned and shook his head. He didn't want to think about it, didn't want to ask more questions that he had no answers to.

Instead he went for a walk around the block, happy to get away from the party for a while. He enjoyed the solitude of being away even though he passed by people on the sidewalk. At least he was away from the music and the room full of people that he was lying to. If only he could stop lying to himself. Where had that thought come from? Was he lying to himself? No, he didn't want to think about it. He just wanted to get the case solved and return to his life, his apartment, the city. As he rounded the corner he thought he heard the sounds of an argument inside the building, coming from the party. His brow furrowed in worry as he thought about Danny. He never should have left him alone.

He walked the last of the distance quickly and breezed into the building, looking at the swarm of people. Nothing seemed to have change. The music still played, people were still talking and dancing. Laughter, kissing, the sound of shoes on the dance floor. Martin looked around the room and failed to see Danny. A heavy feeling settled in his stomach. He did a quick sweep of the room, asking the people he knew if they'd seen Danny. All of them shook their heads but remarked that they'd keep an eye out for him. Martin found himself back by the front door. Without Danny.


	14. Black and White People

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, slash, violence, and language.

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**Chapter Fourteen: Black and White People**

Martin was beginning to panic. He and Danny were supposed to stay within sight of each other. The risks of being alone in such a large crowd were too high. So many people that one or two less would make no difference. Martin chewed his bottom lip but refrained from pulling his hair. What if the person they were hunting had gotten a hold of Danny and convinced him to step outside for a moment, maybe asking him to look at a car or something. He'd have Danny all alone, it wouldn't be hard to get him into a car and whisk him away to lord only knows where. Martin looked around the room again, hoping that maybe he'd just missed seeing Danny. But no, his friend wasn't anywhere in sight. Danny was gone and he was going to have to face the truth. He left the building, pulling his cell phone from his pocket. First he'd have a look around the building and if there still wasn't any sign of Danny he'd call Sam or Jack. Rules had to be followed, after all.

One perimeter sweep later he found himself back by the front door without any signs of Danny. The fear in his stomach had turned into a liquid and he felt like he was going to vomit. He absentmindedly ran his thumb over the keypad of his phone as he searched the parking lot with frantic eyes. The car was still there, parked in the same spot. Even from where he was standing he could tell that Danny wasn't in it. With haste he dialed Sam's cell number only to realize that he'd misdialed and had to do it again. He listened to the ringing on the other end, praying that Danny would come out of hiding and everything would be okay. But his prayers went unanswered.

Finally the ringing stopped. Sam's voice mail picked up and he cursed as he hit the 'end' button. Quickly, and making sure that he did it correctly, he punched in Jack's number. After what seemed like forever he heard the familiar click of someone picking up on the other end. "Yes?"

"He's gone," Martin said, his voice flat, hollow.

"What do you mean he's gone? Who's gone?"

"Danny. Danny's gone," he replied. A rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.

"He can't be gone. What the hell are you talking about, Martin? You aren't making any sense," Jack's voice was calm and professional with only the slightest hint of panic.

Martin explained to him how he went for a quick walk to get some fresh air and when he returned he found Danny gone. He told him about asking other patrons if they'd seen Danny, about checking the building, the grounds, the parking lot. Danny wasn't anywhere to be found. "He's gone, Jack."

"Have you tried calling his phone?"

For a minute Martin was speechless. Why hadn't he thought of that? "No, I..."

"Hold on," Jack said. "I'll have Sam try him." A few seconds passed, too much time had gone by since he'd last seen Danny and it was breaking his heart. He was starting to feel numb, a growing void in his chest. "He's not answering. Listen to me, Martin, I need you to get in the car and drive over here. Can you do that?"

"I…he had the keys," was all that Martin could say. "I can't return to the house," he said slowly as it dawned on him. "Danny kept a house key on the ring and…oh god, what if someone finds out, Jack? They'll kill him."

"Martin, calm down. Don't create a scene or people are going to find out," Jack ordered. "I'm on my way over to get you. Sam has placed a call into the local cops and they'll stop by the party with a fake report and search the area. As we speak she's contacting the local field office. We'll have them run by the house dressed like repairmen or something. They'll know what to look for and will report any suspicious behavior. I need you to wait for me at the curb, a little ways away from the building. Can you do that for me?"

Martin didn't remember telling him yes, he didn't remember answering at all. But he started walking down the sidewalk as the sound of sirens pierced the air. From a distance he watched the squad cars pull-up in front of the building. He watched as the cops went in and people came out with questioning looks on their faces, gossipers taking in everything so that they could relate the facts to anyone who hadn't personally witnessed the event. Jack arrived before anyone noticed him and they were gone in the blink of an eye. The length of the ride Jack tried to chase away Martin's fear but it was of no use. Images kept racing through Martin's mind and not a single one of them had Danny returned to them alive. He vaguely remembered hearing Jack's voice as he spoke to Sam or the cops, maybe it was the field agents at the house? He wasn't really sure. He was staring out the window without seeing anything, close to tears as his chest grew tight.

He couldn't live without Danny.

They arrived at the hotel and Jack ushered him up the stairs. Sam gave him a hug as soon as he crossed over the threshold. "The agents didn't find anything unusual at the house. They tried the doors, everything's locked, the windows are intact. Nothing has been disturbed. The police weren't able to find anything either."

The tightening in his chest grew worse. The world was caving in on him. He fell onto the bed, his head in his hands. This was not happening. This could not be happening_. It wasn't supposed to happen._ Sam sat beside him and ran a hand up and down his back in an attempt to give comfort. The only comfort would come from knowing that Danny was okay.

"I'll give it a few more hours. If we haven't heard anything by the time the sun goes down then I'll call for an official investigation," Jack said.

"Jack-"

"Too much money has been spent on this little operation. I can't throw it all away. For all we know he just went off somewhere," Jack replied. "And if by chance someone does have him I'm not ready to let them know he's a Federal agent."

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They gave Martin a sedative and he eventually drifted off to sleep. They exchanged worried glances in the silence that followed. One of them thinking about the affects this was going to have on Martin's mental health. The other wondering if they'd made the right calls, the proper judgment. For hours they paced back and forth, every once in a while one of them would sit in the only arm chair available. They didn't want to risk waking Martin so all the calls were made just outside the door. No one had seen Danny. No one had been by the house. It was like he'd vanished of the face of the planet. Hours passed. A thunderstorm rolled through and the clouds began to scatter as the sun sank below the horizon. Jack picked up his phone intent on calling for an official investigation when his phone rang.

Sam listened quietly by the door as he took the call outside. She sighed in relief. Heading over toward the bed she gently shook Martin. His eyes snapped open, confusion set in his features. It was only fleeting, the events rushing back and the panic making an appearance. He sat up in bed.

"Jack just got a call. We have him, Martin. We have him and he's alive."


	15. Crutch

**Title:** False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, slash, some violence, and language.

**Author Note: I may not be able to update Friday due to a computer problem. Will try to get it sorted out before then!**

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**Chapter Fifteen: Crutch**

Martin sat in the backseat as Jack drove and Sam sat quietly beside him, watching out the window. Martin could barely contain himself. He felt that any minute he would jump out of his skin. He couldn't believe that it had taken them so long to find Danny and he was worried about the state his friend was in. All that Jack had been willing to tell him was that Danny had been brought into the hospital earlier in the evening, at least an hour before the sun set, and that he'd only made contact a few minutes ago. If he'd been hurt why would he take so long in making contact? The only explanation that he could think of was that something seriously bad had happened. He could understand how confused Danny might have been; say if he got hit in the head. Or if they'd brought him in unconscious. All these awful thoughts kept racing through his mind and it was making him crazy. He had this burning desire to see Danny and make sure that he was okay. He wanted to rescue Danny from whatever pain he was in.

Why was he at the hospital?

Martin felt like yelling those exact words at Jack. He was sure that his boss knew the extent of Danny's condition but was reluctant to share it for some reason. Probably because it was bad news. He wanted to yell at Jack and tell him how fucked up the whole case was. He wanted to tell Jack to pull both of them off and send them back to New York. He'd be willing to deal with his dad who would no doubt be mad. He didn't care. He just wanted to return home and be safe. And he wanted Danny right there beside him. But instead of saying anything he sat quietly in the backseat chewing on his bottom lip and digging his nails into the palms of his hands to keep from pulling his hair out in frustration.

They eventually pulled into the hospital parking lot. It felt like an eternity had gone by since they'd left the hotel but it had only been twenty or thirty minutes. Jack pulled the Federal issued vehicle into an empty spot as close to the doors as he could get. Had these been normal circumstances he would have pulled right up to the doors but no one here knew who they really were and if they wanted to keep their cover they'd have to act like normal citizens. Jack shut off the engine but didn't make any moves to get out of the car. Martin was ready to bolt but he somehow managed to convince his body that he needed to stay in the car to hear whatever it was that Jack was going to say.

"I've been thinking that maybe I should go in alone, to begin with," he started. "Excess the situation and see how bad things really are. Then I can call you and Sam, both of you can come in a visit with Danny."

"Visit with Danny?" Sam inquired. "Do you mean that he's been emitted and that we can't just take him home?"

Jack shrugged. "I'm not sure what condition Danny is in, but I'd like to be ready for anything. For all I know…" He chose wisely not to finish his thought out loud. Martin would not have been able to stand it.

"I have to go in with you," Martin said, amazed that his voice was calm instead of betraying the emotions that were wreaking havoc on him. "I have to be there, Jack. Danny is supposed to be my significant other. What if someone sees you with him instead of me and word gets out? Don't you think there be lots of questions and some speculations?"

"He's got you there, Jack," Sam agreed. "I think we should all go in."

Jack sighed but put up no fight. "All right. But remember, we're undercover so don't do anything that might blow it."

It took a lot of self control on Martin's behalf not to race through the parking lot and right into the hospital yelling Danny's name. To the untrained eye he probably looked like the calmest person around. But he knew that Sam could sense his unease. She placed a hand on his arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. Even Jack seemed to be catching some of the emotional wave running off of Martin. He tried to remain calm, he really did, but it was driving him crazy. All the little tasks of walking from the car to the door, asking the nurse where they could find Danny, and waiting for another nurse to show them the way to the room seemed to take twice as long as they should have. He felt like years of his life had drifted away when in fact it was only fifteen minutes. They walked quietly down the hall after the petite nurse who stopped outside a door. She told them that Danny was right on the other side and then disappeared to do whatever she was supposed to be doing.

Now that Martin was here he wasn't sure he could muster up the courage to open the door and go inside. So he was extremely happy when Jack took the initiative and went in first. Sam took hold of Martin's arm and led him through the door into the hospital room. He wasn't really sure what he'd been expecting but what he saw was definitely not it. He had to be dreaming.

"Hey guys," Danny said with his usual smile.

He was sitting on the bed, dressed and ready to go. With the exception of a black eye he looked fine. Martin couldn't believe his eyes. Here he'd been thinking all these awful things and Danny looked fine. He looked like he was going to be okay. And all he wanted to do was run up to him and give him a big hug. Instead he stood by Sam, wrestling with the emotions that seemed to have taken over his life since coming to Pennsylvania. What he would not give to be back in New York. Or alone with Danny. But which one did he want more?

"How bad is it?" Jack asked, looking over Danny with the eyes of a team leader but his voice sounding more like fatherly love.

"Not too bad," Danny replied, sliding off the bed. "Black eye, some sore ribs, a sprained ankle; nothing too bad."

"Do you want to explain to us what happened? You just about killed Martin over here with worry," Jack said. His eyes were twinkling with mischief.

"Is that so?" Danny remarked. He gave Martin a knowing glance that was completely lost on the other agent. "Actually, Jack, I was wondering if we could talk about what happened tomorrow. I've been sitting on this damned bed for hours waiting for someone to look at me and now I just want to return home, catch a few winks."

Jack shrugged for the second time that night. "All right with me. But I want to see your ass first thing in the morning. You got that?"

"Yes, sir."

----------------------------------------------------

Martin threw the keys on the counter as Danny came into the house behind him. He walked with a slight limp, favoring his left leg and Martin couldn't understand why but he found it oddly attractive. The ride home had been spent mostly in silence with only the occasional question here or there about the party. Jack was eager to learn what happened to Danny but respected his friend's request and refrained from asking too many questions. Though Danny did explain to them that he didn't really learn anything helpful while at the party. He never said whether or not he learned anything useful when he disappeared. And now, as Martin watched him ease onto one of the stools, he seemed even less likely to bring up his disappearing act. It troubled Martin. He wanted to know what Danny had been through, wanted to understand what had happened and needed to know where exactly Danny had been.

It was driving him crazy.

"So you worried about me, huh?" Danny smirked.

"You just vanished," Martin said in a hushed voice. For the second time that night he was able to keep the emotions out of his voice.

"I'm sorry, Martin. I didn't mean for you to worry."

Martin didn't say anything. He just stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, a frown upon his face.

"Are you going to give me the silent treatment? 'Cause that's not really fair. I just got out of the hospital and I don' think-" His words were cut off as Martin closed the distance between them. He wrapped his arms around Danny's neck and snaked them up the back of his head until his fingers were buried in Danny's hair. He brought his lips to Danny's, kissing him with a passion that was a product of all his emotions. Danny couldn't believe what was happening. But then again, neither could Martin.


	16. Last Beautiful Girl

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, slash, violence, and language.

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**Chapter Sixteen: Last Beautiful Girl**

Danny rolled over in bed and looked at the ceiling for a second before climbing out from under the covers. Martin slept soundly, not even so much as rolling over. He looked peaceful sleeping there that Danny almost stayed. But he'd caught them spooning and as much as he loved being that close to Martin, he didn't want to risk upsetting him. He wasn't sure what had happened other than that Martin had kissed him the night before. It was definitely a step in the right direction; that was for sure. But Danny couldn't help being worried. What if Martin had only been affectionate because of what happened to him? He sighed, letting the depressing thoughts clog his mind as he stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. Standing before the mirror he slowly pulled off his shirt and looked at his reflection. Staring back at him was a man he hardly knew. He couldn't recall ever having been so bruised. The discoloration along his ribcage stretched from his armpit down to the last rib, covering nearly his entire side. The muscle underneath was tender and sore so sudden movements were out of the question. He was going to have to take it easy for a few days.

He started the shower, hoping that the cascading warm water would help make his body feel better. By all rights he should have been taking a cold shower, not a warm one. His mind kept going back to the night before, reliving that moment. It was like a dream, watching Martin walk toward him and kiss him. He still couldn't believe that it had happened and he'd have given anything to go back to last night just to have it happen again. Half-way through his shower he turned the knob and let the cooler water wash over him. When he felt like he could face Martin without turning into some babbling fool he turned off the water, stepped out of the shower, and wrapped a towel around his waist. He was going to head into the bedroom to get his clothes when he caught his reflection in the mirror. The nasty bruise. He couldn't risk letting Martin see it. He was pretty sure that if Martin saw the nasty discoloration that he'd completely freak out and Danny couldn't let that happen. Not when they were so close to everything working out.

Chewing his bottom lip he looked around the bathroom. He didn't fancy putting on the clothes he'd just been wearing. They were dirty and putting them back on would make taking a shower pointless. He had no choice. Either he could stay in the bathroom for the rest of the day or he could just get the whole thing done and over with. Opening the bathroom door a crack he peeked out into the bedroom. Martin was still lying in the bed, sound asleep. Danny counted that as his first stroke of luck. His second came when he realized that Martin's back was to the closet. Danny quietly slipped out the bathroom and across the bedroom. He opened the closet, expecting the creak of the door to wake Martin. He held his breath for a few seconds but nothing happened. He slipped on a shirt and was about to grab the rest of his clothing when he heard Martin stirring.

"Danny?"

"Right here," he replied, turning to face his friend. "I was just in showering. I have to head over to the hotel this morning. You want to come?"

Martin looked at him, the sleep leaving him as he rubbed a hand over his face. He sat up in the bed. "No, I think I'll stay here. I really don't want to hear what happened to you. Dealing with the fact that you were missing yesterday is more than enough drama for me."

Danny sat on the edge of the bed. "Martin-"

"I'll be fine. You're just going to the hotel to see Jack and Sam. I think you'll be okay. I…" He didn't finish the sentence.

"All right," Danny gave-in. "I'll make sure that I'm back here as soon as I'm done with Jack. I'll even call you when I'm on my way."

"You don't have to do that," Martin said, shaking his head.

"I _want_ to do it."

---------------------------------------

Danny had only been gone a half hour and Martin was already starting to feel like something was wrong. He kept reliving the fear he'd gone through when Danny had first gone missing. He'd lied; he couldn't handle being home alone. He should have just gone with Danny but something told him to stay home. He wondered for the umpteenth time if it had something to do with the kiss the night before. What had he been thinking? That was just it, he _hadn't_ been thinking. He'd just acted and before he knew it he was kissing Danny. It should have been the answer to all the annoying questions in his mind but instead it made him more confused. He was about to call Jack to steer his mind in a different direction when there was a knock at the front door. His muscles tensed. Last time he'd been home alone things hadn't exactly been pleasant.

"Martin, it's Sam," called a voice. "Please let me in. I want to talk to you."

He relaxed, placing the phone back in its cradle and headed for the front door. He let Sam in, happy to have some company to keep his mind off unpleasant things. Or to at least temporarily distract him from his problems. "What brings you here? I figured you'd be with Jack listening to what happened to Danny."

"Actually, I figured this was the best time to come have a talk with you over something important," she said, heading into the living room.

Martin followed her, the butterflies in his stomach sending up a frenzy. "Important?"

She sat so he followed suit, sitting across from her. "We're sorry, Martin. Jack feels awful. He never realized that the case would do this to you or Danny. And I feel like I've helped by being here."

"What are you talking about?"

"I really shouldn't be telling you this but I believe that you deserve to know," Sam started. "Mainly because after what happened last night. Martin, this was just supposed to be another case, another days worth of work. Instead things between you and Danny ended up rocky. I'll be the first to admit that no one really put any thought into this case before sending the two of you out here. I want to make things right before we go home."

"Wait, what the hell are you talking about?" Martin was feeling even more confused.

"Danny loves you, Martin. As more than a friend," she said. Martin didn't say anything so she kept going. "I think he's been in love with you for a very long time. He was so upset when he found those pills and he wanted Jack to send you home. He wanted you as far away from this case as possible because he was worried about the ill effects it was having on you. And then you two weren't talking and-"

"Why are you telling me all of this?" interrupted Martin.

"Because I know that you feel the same about him," she said quietly. "I saw it in your eyes last night, at the hospital. But I think you're too afraid to admit it to yourself. It's okay, Martin. It's okay to be in love and to love him."

"I…but…Sam…" Martin couldn't find the right thing to say to make his feelings understandable to her. He could hardly understand them himself.

She got up and walked over to sit beside him. She placed a hand on his thigh. "Forget about your dad, Martin. Forget about everyone at work and everyone you think matters. The only one that matters is you and I can see that you're being tortured. So what if I'm the last beautiful girl you slept with, big deal. I think it's kind of special. But that's beside the point. Look, you just need to focus on Danny. Let your heart do all the talking. You might find something wonderful waiting right around the corner. Don't deny yourself happiness, Martin, just because you're afraid of what others might say."

"I kissed him last night," he blurted out without taking a minute to think.

Sam smiled. "See. I bet you weren't even thinking about it. Something tells me that your heart took advantage of the moment. Run with it."

"I don't know…"

"Trust me. Everything will be fine."


	17. If You're Gone

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Slash, angst, language, and hints of violence.**  
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**Chapter Seventeen: If you're Gone**

She was crazy, right? he thought as he paced back and forth in the living room. There wasn't any truth to what she was saying, there just couldn't be. Martin could not love Danny for so many reasons. For one, they worked together and office romances rarely if ever lasted. He'd seen that when he dated Sam. Second, his father, the biggest obstacle of all, the one person that could make Martin feel fear deep in the marrow of his bones. He may have had a dislike for his father but the man had raised him and still had high hopes for him. For as long as he could remember his father talked about him getting married and settling down with a lovely wife in a beautiful house and having children to carry on the family legacy. His father had painted the picture perfectly. Danny was never part of the picture. He couldn't marry Danny or live with him in a beautiful house and children were way out of the question. He thought about Sam's advice to forget about everything and everyone and just let his heart do all the talking. Could he be brave enough to defy his father's wishes in the search of understanding and happiness?

He sighed. Why couldn't life ever be easy for him?

The clock above the mantle chimed the hour, the sound drawing his attention. He studied the hands, not believing what his eyes were seeing. Uneasily he went to the nearest window and drew back the curtain. It was true. Night had fallen and Danny was not home. He hadn't even called like he promised to. Martin swallowed nervously. Was this going to be a repeat of the night before? He wasn't entirely sure he could handle anymore stress over worrying about Danny. He sat heavily on the couch, his head in his hands as he thought about calling Danny or even Jack. But he also didn't want to seem worried or insecure. He wanted them to believe he was still capable of doing his job without automatically thinking the worst was going to happen.

The only problem was that he was already thinking the worst had happened.

He leaned back, his eyes boring into the ceiling without really seeing it. He didn't know what to do, torn between two choices. One made him look weak while the other made him look professional and reliable. What if whoever had hurt Danny had caught up with him again and was doing unspeakable things to him? Maybe even….Martin couldn't, wouldn't let that thought cross his mind. He felt a tightening in his chest as panic began to creep in. Just as he was about to have a panic attack he heard the familiar whir of the garage door opener. A few minutes later he heard it closing and the slam of a car door. Leaning forward once again he took deep breaths in hopes of chasing away his fear. The kitchen door opened and there was the sound of shoes on the tile floor.

Then, softly, almost unreal, he heard Danny say, "Martin?"

He looked up and over at Danny, trying to smile. "Hey."

"Are you okay?" he asked, walking quietly across the floor and sitting on the couch beside Martin.

"Fine, perfectly okay."

"You're lying to me," Danny scowled.

"So what if I am? Don't you already have enough on your plate with being attacked and everything? What's one little lie?"

"It's everything," Danny said in a hushed voice. "It means that you don't trust me with the truth, with what's bothering you. And if there's no trust how can we work together or in the long run, be friends? One little lie can change so much about a relationship, Martin."

"Fine, I'm lying," said Martin, looking Danny in the eye. "I'm sorry but I don't want to burden you with anything else. You've been through enough. Don't be worrying about me, worry about yourself."

Danny smiled. "Worry about myself and not you? Who do you think I am, Fitzy? I always worry about you."

"So Sam was right," Martin mumbled as he looked away.

"Sam? What the hell are you talking about?"

Martin sighed. It was better to just tell him. He had spent the last few days in utter torture, his emotions confusing him. Perhaps now was the time to let it all out, listen to his heart and follow it down whatever road it chose to travel. It was the only way he could see that things would get better, or at least start making sense. "She came by while you were gone and told me everything. About how you feel and such…"

"Really? I told her that in confidence."

"Don't get mad at her, Danny. She did it for me."

Danny raised an eyebrow in question but gestured for Martin to carry on. He was interested to see where this was going.

"She had a talk with me about how you felt about me and how you wanted me off the case because I slipped up and you were worried. Then she went on to tell me how she saw within me this mass of confusing emotions and how I should listen to my heart, that it would show me the right road and take me where I need to be."

"She said all that, really?"

"Well, something along those lines," Martin said. He felt a slight heat in his cheeks.

"And just now, when I came in, was that what you were doing, listening to your heart?"

Martin's blush grew worse. "No, I was worrying about you."

Danny, on impulse, took Martin's hand, twining their fingers together. "I'm sorry, Martin. I know I said I would call but my cell phone was dead and then I got stuck in traffic due to some accident. Half way home I remembered that Jack wanted me to return to the building where the party was hosted and see if I could recall anything more, so I did that and afterwards….well, I just drove around aimlessly in a dark mood. I didn't want to come home like that. I'm truly sorry that I made you worry."

"I understand," said Martin. "It's just, if you were gone…"

Danny placed his free hand along Martin's cheek. "I'm not going anywhere, Martin. Nothing could keep me from you. As long as you're here waiting for me I'll come home. I'd fight through hell if it meant coming home to you."

"Really?"

His reply was to lean forward, bringing their lips together in a heated kiss. All their worries, their confusion, their hunger lent fuel to the fire, sending waves of passion coursing through their bodies. Danny wanted Martin right then and there but understood that if he wanted Martin at all that things would have to go slow. It was nearly unbearable but at least they were making progress. As mad as he was at Sam for breaking their confidence he'd have to remember to thank her. She helped set Martin down the right path. Now it was up to him to get Martin as far from the crossroads as possible.


	18. Mad Season

**Title:** False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, language, slash, and slight violence.

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**Chapter Eighteen: Mad Season**

Martin whistled as he threw the ball toward the net. It bounced off the rim and landed in the yard where it rolled a few inches. The sun was shining bright in the sky but a gentle breeze kept the day from being to hot and unbearable. Somewhere he heard the distinct hum of a mower as someone cut their lawn. He had been outside for the last hour playing basketball and because of that his shirt stuck to him with sweat. He thought about taking it off but worried about getting too much sun without having sun block on. And he wasn't really in the mood to head back inside to apply some. He had been playing ball with hopes of Kody coming by. Danny, the night before, expressed worries to Martin. No one had seen Kody since that day they played ball. It was almost like the guy didn't exist. None of the neighbors could say where he went. Some figured he'd gone on vacation or maybe to visit family. It didn't matter much to Danny or Martin where the man was, as long as they could find him. At the moment he was an important part of the investigation. Danny never saw who took him. But with Jack he had worked out that either Kody was behind it or he was a victim of the same person. They wouldn't know until the found the man. Martin hoped that if he relived the first time he met Kody that it might set the ball rolling and the guy would show his face.

But it hadn't worked that way and Martin was getting tired.

He took a sip of his water, then poured some over his head. He wondered what Danny was doing at that precise moment. To keep up the appearance that at least one of them had a job, Danny would take off early in the morning and return either in the afternoon or the evening. What he did when he was gone Martin still didn't know but he figured that Danny either spent time with Sam and Jack or drove around aimlessly. Maybe he even canvassed the neighborhood. All that Martin did know was that it got lonely around the house and he wished that Danny would stay with him. He absentmindedly bounced the ball on the concrete driveway, his eyes turned toward the sky. The sound of sneakers, running footsteps, caught his attention. When he looked toward the sidewalk he smiled. Willow and Bert were out for a jog and when they saw him they stopped for some neighborly chatting.

"How's your partner?" Willow asked, her voice filled with sympathy. Rumors had gone rampant through the neighborhood about what had happened to Danny. The work of Jack. The leader of the team hoped that it would generate some sort of clue, maybe get someone to start talking about the previous murders or maybe start someone on a bragging spree.

"Danny's doing much better. He's at work right now but I'll tell him that you asked after him," Martin replied.

"Did you hear that Kody was missing?" blurted out Bert.

Martin was taken aback for a minute by the man's utter bluntness. "Uh, yeah, actually, I'd heard of that. I think Danny was the one to tell me about it. Do you guys think he might have just gone on vacation without telling anyone?"

Willow stared at her husband as he shook his head. "I won't lie, I hardly knew Kody; just didn't spend much time with him. But he was our neighbor and we often looked after his place when he went away. He always asked for us to check after his plants and collect his mail. Now he's just gone. No word from him. It's a bit mysterious."

Martin frowned. "Really?"

"I wonder if it has anything to do with what happened to Danny," mused Willow. She was quickly getting caught up in the conspiracy theory. "What if the person that attacked Danny did something awful to Kody?"

"Why would anyone do that?" Martin actually liked playing dumb. Maybe one of them would have a detail that wasn't known to the FBI yet, or the police force.

"Haven't you heard about the murders?" Willow said in disbelief.

Martin shook his head. "No."

Willow and her husband quickly filled him in on the murders of the gay couples, all of which he already knew. What he had not known was that Kody had befriended each and every couple that later ended up dead. That tiny tidbit of information sent a chill down Martin's spine. His mind instantly went to Danny, wondering if his partner was okay and safe wherever he was. Then Willow gave him another tidbit of information; Kody was a well known bisexual. Everyone in the neighborhood knew about it. Martin was beginning to feel numb, a rock of dread forming in his stomach. He felt an itch to call Jack and tell his boss everything that he was learning but that would blow his cover, ruin the case.

"Do you think that Danny and I are a target? That Kody is possibly dead?" Martin pulled off the worried-scared routine without having to act.

Bert shrugged. "Who knows? This neighborhood isn't what it used to be. When we first moved here it was a lot nicer."

Martin opened his mouth to say something when he noticed a black SUV cruising down the street at a high rate of speed, coming toward the house. The rock in his stomach settled. He could feel the blood slowly draining from his face. He recognized the vehicle instantly. It was the one Jack had been loaned by the local FBI field office, the government plates proof that the man behind the wheel wasn't normal or run of the mill. The swirling red and blue light on the dashboard further proof. He didn't like what his eyes were seeing. Why would Jack be coming to get him in a government marked vehicle with lights flashing? It would surely blow their cover. Unless that's what he wanted. Martin dropped the basketball and the bottle of water he'd been holding. Danny. Something must have happened to Danny. The vehicle came to an abrupt stop at the end of the driveway, having drawn the attention of a few other neighbors along with Willow and Bert. Martin wasted no time heading for the black SUV, his heart threatening to beat right out of his chest. Jack opened the door.

"Danny? Did something happen to Danny?" There was a frantic edge to his voice.

Jack looked worried. "Martin, I need you to come with me while Sam fetches your personal belongings."

He stopped. "Oh god…"

"He's back at the hotel, Martin. But this undercover stint is over. Come on, let's get you out of here and I'll explain everything when we get back to the hotel room, and you see for yourself that Danny is okay."


	19. Rest Stop

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimers:** Slash, angsty, language, and hints of violence.

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**Chapter Nineteen: Rest Stop**

The duration of the ride to the hotel was like hell on Martin's nerves. All these scenarios kept racing through his mind, and not a single one of them was reassuring. Jack had told him that Danny was safe, that he was at the hotel and okay. But that did very little to releave the fear that was quickly consuming him. If it was nothing then why had Jack pulled up in front of the house the way he had when the neighbors were there? What was so important that Jack felt the need to ruin the undercover operation when it seemed like it was going so well? Something horrible had to have happened to Danny. That was the only logical explanation that Martin could come up with. He was tempted to tell Jack to pull the car over so that he could throw-up on the side of the road but he somehow managed to keep the fear inside, drumming his fingers on the armrest.

They finally pulled into the parking lot and it took all of Martin's strength not to jump out of the car while it was still moving and race for the hotel room. He was surprised to find that he could act so calm, so relaxed when all he really wanted to do was freak out. Jack parked the car and they both climbed out. Martin forced himself to walk beside Jack, not to rush ahead. He wasn't sure if his boss understood the things that had been happening between him and Danny. Though he knew that Jack didn't seem to have a problem with office relationships none of them had ever been between a couple of the same sex. What if Jack was actually homophobic? The last thing that Martin wanted to do was create more chaos and confusion when he was still trying to figure things out for himself. He figured that once he'd sorted things out they could go public with their relationship, if they had one and if that's what Danny wanted.

Danny.

What would be waiting for him in the hotel room? It had only been a few nights ago that Danny had been attacked, bruised and beaten. Had that same person gotten a hold of him again and done something much worse? What if Danny wasn't even in the hotel room? Maybe Jack had brought him here to have a talk with him, to let him down gently and to let him lose his mind where no one but his boss could see it happening. Danny could be dead, not waiting behind the door. Martin was no longer walking beside Jack now. He was lagging behind, taking the steps up to the second floor at a slow pace, dragging his feet. He no longer wanted to see what was waiting for him behind the hotel door. He no longer wanted to hear what Jack had to say. He just wanted to be back in New York, working in the office and listening to Danny talk. That was all he wanted; to hear Danny talk. Jack reached the door before he did, opening it and stepping into the room beyond. With the last of his resolve Martin followed him.

He hadn't realized that he'd been holding his breath until he let it out in a deep sigh of relief. All his fears were quickly washed down the drain when he saw Danny stretched out on the only bed in the room. He resisted the urge to run to him and give him a hug. Even greater was the burning desire to kiss him. But not with Jack in the room. And though he was happy to see Danny alive and well he still hadn't completely shaken the feeling that something was wrong. Jack took a seat in the chair so Martin closed the door and sat heavily on the end of the bed. He was acutely aware of Danny's eyes on him, on the close proximity of his friend.

"The case is out of our hands," Jack said. "As of right now you guys are no longer working undercover. By tonight you'll be on your way back to New York."

"Why? What's going on?" Martin asked.

"Jack, I've been sitting here for the last two hours since you called me in off the street," Danny started. "I think I have a reason to know why it is that we're no longer a part of this case."

Jack studied them for a moment, trying to see what Sam had seen, trying to see if it was true. But he couldn't tell if there was anything beyond friendship between the two men before him. At least not at the present moment. "Your friend, Kody, was located at a rest stop along the highway on the way out of the state. He was found by a camper and his wife. I'm sorry to say that Kody has met a bad end."

Danny sat up. "Someone killed him?"

"Not just someone," Jack said. "There was a note left on the body. That note is the reason why you two are going back to New York."

"Oh god…" was all Martin could get out.

Jack either didn't hear him or ignored him. "We have reason to believe that the note was left by the man we were trying to find. He threatens both of you. He uses your names and knows that both of you are working for the government. Thankfully he is only aware of your first names and that you work along the east coast. He doesn't know last names or what state. Hopefully he isn't aware that you work for the FBI."

"So there's no way he can trace us?" inquired Danny.

"I'm not sure," Jack answered honestly. "I have Sam cleaning out the house with a few select agents from New York, none of the Pennsylvania group. Someone on the inside has leaked information, at least that is our understanding, how else would this guy have learned that you were undercover?"

"If someone was leaking information what's to say that this killer doesn't have all our information?"

Before Jack could answer his cell phone rang. He excused himself and headed for the door, leaving the two of them inside. Martin hung his head, his hands lying limply between his legs. All he wanted at that moment was to fall off the wagon again. He wanted the release the pills gave him. They freed his mind and they would take him far away from here. He wanted that. He wanted to be free of everything. Even though his wish of going home was finally coming true he knew that it meant they were in trouble. What if the killer knew more than he was letting on about? They could very well be followed back to New York. The bed jostled as Danny moved. The next thing Martin knew he had Danny's arms around his waist. He leaned back into the solid form that was Danny, letting the worries ease from his mind as he felt the beat of Danny's heart.


	20. The Burn

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, slash, language, and hints of violence.

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**Chapter Twenty: The Burn**

He sat in his office watching the team from behind his desk. That was the only thing he really liked about having so many windows in his office; it gave him a clear view of his team without having to be present, without them knowing that he was observing them. Sometimes it was interesting to see what they did when they didn't realize that he was watching. He had once watched the girls flip through a magazine of children's clothing while commenting on the cute outfits; well, he assumed they had been commenting on the clothes, probably trying to help Elena pick out outfits for her daughter. He'd seen them joke around and harass each other the way that friends did. But today was worrying. They had been back in New York for two days and Jack had become obsessed with keeping an eye on Danny and Martin; especially on Martin. The younger man seemed to have changed since going to Pennsylvania. He spoke less, joked less, and spent more time buried in his work while life went on around him. It worried Jack to see him that way. What if he was taking pills again? That might explain his detached mood from everyone. Jack thought about calling him in and asking point blank what the hell was going on but he knew if he did word would somehow get back to Martin's father and that would only cause more trouble with the young agent.

At least he'd been able to voice his concerns with Sam. She too had noticed a change in Martin but felt that it wasn't as bad as Jack was making it out to be. She kept telling him that it was beyond his understanding, that Danny and Martin were trying to sort things out. He realized that going undercover could change people but he never realized that it could change them so much. Could the act of pretending to be a gay couple have actually shown them how they truly felt for each other? Were they now more than friends?

Jack sighed. There was no use spending his days playing games of 'what if' so he turned his back on the team and focused on his work. He'd received quite a few troubling reports over the last hour. Reports that said the killer from Pennsylvania was trekking toward the city of New York. All along the highway, at rest stops, people were reporting messages to the police who then sent in teams. They found threats scrawled on bathroom walls, all of which pointed back to Danny and Martin. Jack knew he should have mentioned something to them but the last report said that they were drawing closer to the guy. The paint from his last message had still been very wet. He couldn't have been that far ahead of them. Of course, it would help if they knew what type of person they were looking for. All the descriptions were different. Some had the guy at six-foot with blond hair and blue eyes and others said he was five-seven with brown hair and brown eyes, while yet more reports said the person in question was fair skinned and red-headed. Jack knew how unreliable witnesses could be. They all saw different things. He sighed. How was he going to keep Martin and Danny safe without them knowing? He chewed over the idea of telling them but what if it only upset Martin more? He already appeared to be a bit unstable after recent events.

Jack was torn.

The least he could do was tell Danny. If he told Danny then he could help keep an eye on Martin without the younger agent ever realizing he was in danger. That would work, Jack realized, smiling faintly with relief. Another problem solved. He turned to look out the windows of his office, planning to walk to the door and call Danny in, but after checking and double checking he noticed that Danny was gone. And so was Martin. Where had they gone?

----------------------------------------------

"You don't think Jack is going to get mad at us, do you?" Martin asked. He was standing on the sidewalk with Danny, a hotdog in one of his hands.

"It's an hour after lunch, Martin. We've been stuck in the office all day trying to help the girls on their case. I think we deserve to have a bite to eat. After all, we have to keep up our energy," Danny replied. He took a bite of his hotdog. "Damn good."

Martin smiled. "It sure is nice to be back in the city. Bit too quiet out in the middle of nowhere."

"We weren't exactly in the middle of nowhere. Now a farm on some back country road, that would be the middle of nowhere. A place where no one would hear you scream."

"Gee, thanks for the image," muttered Martin.

"Sorry," Danny apologized. They started back toward the Federal building. Danny had to admit, even though things between him and Martin hadn't gotten any farther, he was happy about being back in the city, too. Though he would have given anything to be back in Pennsylvania living in the same house as Martin. He missed sharing a bed with him. Missed all his little habits and seeing him all sweaty from playing basketball. He wanted to whisk them back. But he knew that it was for the best that Martin was back in the city. He'd changed since the undercover role and if Danny said he wasn't worried, he'd be lying.

He was finishing off the last bite of his hotdog when Martin took his hand and pulled him into an alley. Before he could ask what the hell his partner was up to he felt Martin's lips on his. His mind rushed back to the few times they had kissed in Pennsylvania and how sweet they had been, how innocent. Standing in a dirty alley should have overshadowed the passion between them but Danny had already forgotten they were in a filthy New York alley. He could taste the slightest hint of mustard on Martin's lips and for some reason that turned him on. Danny wanted to have Martin right then and there but two things kept him from having his way with the younger agent. One of which being the fact that they were in an alley. He wanted their first time to be something special. The second thing holding him back was Martin. He was still confused, Danny could tell, still unsure of how he felt or how to deal with how he felt. But if spontaneous kissing was his way of sorting things out, Danny was all for it.

They broke apart and without saying anything headed for the entrance of the Federal building. Martin got a bit ahead of Danny, probably because Danny had lagged behind on purpose. He wanted to watch Martin walk away from him. He liked to admire Martin. They were about to get on the elevator when a young lady stopped them. She handed Danny an envelope with his name on it, saying that it had come in just a few seconds before he'd walked through the door. Danny frowned, not recognizing the handwriting on the envelope. He shrugged when Martin looked at the small object with a questioning look. He waited until they were alone in the elevator before opening it. And he immediately wished that he hadn't.


	21. Bent

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, hints of violence, language and slash.

**Author Note: **_Thank you to the **reviewers** that actually take the time to leave a review. You guys totally rock! Thank you! (Sorry...not much a fan of ghost readers...)_

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**Chapter Twenty-one: Bent**

"Where's Martin?" Sam asked. On a usual day it would be an innocent question. But today, looking down at the object she held in her hand she knew that nothing was going to be innocent for days to come.

"He's sitting at his desk trying not to completely lose it," Danny replied. "I shouldn't have opened this in front of him. How could I be so damned stupid?"

Sam placed a hand on his shoulder. "Like you knew. Look, we have to tell Jack. He has to see this."

All the color drained from Danny's face. He shook his head. "No, he can't…."

"Danny."

"It'll open a whole new can of worms. And it would be only a matter of time before Martin's father found out. Do you really want him to have to deal with that on top of everything else?"

"Then why do you think we should do?" Sam inquired her voice a bit testy.

"We'll tell Jack but we will just have to keep this little piece of evidence from him," Danny said, plucking it away from her and placing it in his pocket. He didn't want to look at it again or risk having Martin see it.

"He won't fly for that."

"Then I guess we're going to have to convince him."

Sam sighed. "This ought be fun."

Together they headed for Jack's office. Danny was feeling awful about the little piece of evidence in his pocket, knowing that it had sent Martin down a dark path. Hadn't Martin suffered enough? Two days back in the city and he still looked worried; worried about Danny's well being, worried that the others would learn what happened between them back in Pennsylvania, worried his father would find out. As they headed for the Jack's office Danny caught a glimpse of Martin sitting at his desk. At least Vivian and Elena were out of the office. They would have known immediately that something was bothering the agent. The way he sat behind his desk, his eyes wide but not seeing, the slight gleam of sweat along his hair line, the way he kept fiddling with things over and over again. He was scared and Danny didn't blame him, couldn't blame him. He was scared, too. But there was more to his fear than the threat he'd just been given. No, he was afraid that now he'd never get anywhere with Martin, that this one little move on the part of some jackass would forever keep Martin out of his arms. That's what he was afraid of.

Sam knocked on the door frame and welcomed herself into Jack's office. Their boss was just hanging up the phone and seemed surprised by their presence. "Something I can do for you two?"

"Actually there is," Sam started off. "Danny came to me a few minutes ago with a piece of….well; let's just say it's a not so nice gift. Never mind what the gift is, all that matters is that Danny and Martin are in trouble. Seems that guy from Pennsylvania was able to find out about them after all."

Jack massaged his temples. "Slow down, you're not really making any sense."

"Someone took a photo, Jack. A Polaroid taken maybe twenty minutes ago and delivered to me in an envelope with my name on it by one of the ladies on the first floor. Jack, that guy we were trying so hard to find has found both Martin and me. He left a threatening note to me on the picture and I was foolish enough to open the damned thing in front of Martin."

"May I see this photo?"

Danny swallowed. "Um…I think it would be best if you didn't."

Jack's eyebrows went up in surprise. "You want me to call in an elevated security for the building without seeing the reason why?"

"Look out at Martin," Sam said. "Isn't that enough of a reason?"

Looking out one of the windows of his office, Jack saw Martin sitting at the conference table with his head down, his hands clasped behind his head. He was bouncing his left leg nervously. He'd never seen the agent in such a position before and it baffled him. That was all the proof he needed that something was wrong. He sighed. "All right. I'll call it in. But we're going to have a serious talk, Danny. I want to see that picture before the day is through."

"Martin's father-"

"Fuck Victor. I don't care about him. All I care about is keeping you and Martin alive and well," Jack shot back. He picked up the phone and made all the necessary calls. Now the building would be even harder to get into, even the parking garage would be treated like Fort Knox. Jack hung up the phone. "Now I want to see that photo Danny."

Danny knew he shouldn't defy his boss. But he was reluctant to hand over the photo. "No."

Jack frowned. "Daniel, this guy is hell bent on catching you and Martin. He's traveled over state lines. He may have been the one to attack you to begin with. And if a bump in your friendship was enough to make him fall off the wagon, imagine what this is going to do to him."

"I am," fired back Danny. "I can't show you the photo. It was risky enough showing it to Sam."

"Stop trying to protect Martin from his father," Jack said, his voice getting angrier by the minute. He was now standing behind his desk.

"I'm not going to feed him to the wolf, Jack," Danny scowled. "He deserves better than that."

"And you know that I won't add fuel to the fire. I am not going to let this get to Victor."

"Everything gets to Victor! Especially when it involves his only son."

"Why are you so reluctant to give me the picture Danny? Is it because the photo is an intimate moment between you and Martin? Is that what it is?"

"Guys?" Sam interrupted.

Danny ignored her. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh come off it, Danny," Jack said, not listening to Sam. "I know that something is going on between the two of you, something that reaches beyond friendship. Why can't you just admit it?"

"Guys…"

"Maybe there's nothing to admit!"

"Then show me the fucking photo!"

"Guys!"

"What??" The two of the yelled at the same time, looking at Sam.

"If the two of you would shut up for just a second you'd realize that Martin left."

"What?" Danny looked out toward their desks. Martin wasn't there. He wasn't anywhere to be seen. "Oh god…"

"He was headed for the elevators. There might still be time to catch him," Sam said.


	22. Bed of Lies

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Slash, angst, language, and hints of violence.

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**Chapter Twenty-two: Bed of Lies**

Martin wasn't sure why he left the safety of the building behind. Perhaps he was tired of everything that had happened and was still happening. His feelings for Danny were still confusing to him. One minute he wanted to throw Danny down on the floor and have his way with him. The next minute he was trying to figure out if he'd maybe taken a wrong turn and was heading down a road he wasn't meant to travel. All he knew was that he couldn't stay locked up in the office while Danny and Jack went at it. When he'd laid eyes on the photo his heart had skipped a beat. The monster from Pennsylvania had followed them and was watching them. He was taking photos of them touching and kissing. Photos that could find their way back to his father and his mother. What would he say to them if they knew about his feelings for Danny, as confusing as they were? His dad would throw him out on the street and his mother would cry, that's what they would do. They wanted the American dream for him; small house with white picket fence, a beautiful wife and three-point-five children. But what if that wasn't what the universe planned for him?

He massaged the back of his neck with his hand. As he threaded is way through the busy sidewalks of the city he kept looking around for anyone following him but it was hard to tell with so many people about. Maybe he should have stayed back at the office, safely locked away from the world. It was better than making himself an easier target for a killer hell bent on ridding the world of men in love with men. But was Martin really one of those men? Was he really in love with Danny or was it more the love of being in love? He found a bench and sat, releasing a sigh. A woman sat beside him and began to rummage around in her purse. Martin didn't pay any attention to her as he looked around at the city. He was happy to be home but part of him wished there weren't so many people. How was he supposed to tell if he was being followed? All the men in business suits, all the joggers and dog walkers, all of them were normal sights in the city. Not one person looked out of place. It was pointless. He should get off the bench and head back toward the office before his friends started freaking out.

The woman beside him got up and left, taking off in the direction she had come. Martin didn't really pay any attention to her. He was studying a couple at the hotdog stand across the street. The way they laughed and smiled as they talked with each other. The way they touched each other as they embraced, kissing quickly. He watched them walk away with their fingers laced together and he wished that he knew what it felt like to really be in love. He wanted to wake up every morning knowing that he wasn't alone, that his lover was sleeping beside him. He wanted someone that could make him smile when he felt like the world had given up on him. He wanted to have loving arms wrapped around him when he'd had a bad day, a loving embrace to remind him that the whole world wasn't an evil place.

He placed his hand on the bench, intent on standing up and heading back to the office but his hand rested on something besides wood. He frowned and looked down to find a white envelope under his hand. The woman that had been rummaging through her press must have accidentally left it behind, he figured. Scanning the crowds around him he tried to find her but that was impossible since he hadn't really looked at her. What was he supposed to do with the envelope now? What if it held something important inside? He moved his hand away to find writing along the outside. His heart skipped a beat. Scrawled across the front of the envelope in elaborate cursive was his name. First Danny, now him. Swallowing back his fear he picked up the envelope and opened it, afraid of what might be inside. Was it another picture of him with Danny, another piece of evidence that he'd have to worry about his father seeing?

He pulled out the picture and nearly dropped it. This was not some picture taken of two people in an intimate moment. This was far from intimate. It was a picture of Danny from back in Pennsylvania. He was lying on the cold and wet cement of an alley or maybe a parking lot. The picture of him with his black eye, unconscious and unaware of the person standing above him taking pictures. A jolt of fear mixed with anger flashed through Martin. Someone had written a note at the bottom of the Polaroid with a black marker. Against his better judgment Martin read what it said aloud.

"Imagine the blood running off his skin and marring the ground below…"

He felt sick. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and drive away the nausea that was rolling through his body like waves in a violent ocean. Blood covering Danny's perfect skin, his beautiful, honey-hued skin. The image was instantly repulsive to Martin and he wished that he could get it out of his head. He stuffed the picture back into the envelope and was shoving the envelope into his pocket when he heard someone yelling his name. Looking in the direction of the voice he saw Danny racing toward. For the second time that day Martin's heart skipped a beat, but this time it wasn't out of fear.

Danny ran to him, grabbing a hold of him when they were within arm's length of each other. "Don't do that," Danny yelled at him, clearly upset by something that Martin had done. "Don't ever just walk off like that, Martin. There's a maniac running around out here…"

"I'm sorry. I couldn't stand being in the office watching you argue with Jack over the picture," Martin said. "I know why you won't show it to him. You're trying to protect me but I'm the one that needs to protect you."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Martin thought about what he had to do. It was the last thing in the world he ever wanted to do but it would make his life a lot easier. "I have to talk to someone, Danny. I have…I think it might be best if you don't go along."

"Martin, you're not making any sense."

Danny was frowning and Martin realized that over the last few months he'd grown to love Danny's frown. He never thought frowning could be so sexy. "I'm tired of the lies, Danny. I need to get this out in the open. I need to talk to someone."

"Then talk to me."

"That's not what I meant…I…" Martin stopped, unsure of what to say. "Come on, I'll show you."


	23. Leave

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, slash, hints of violence, and language.

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**Chapter Twenty-three: Leave**

Martin walked down the hall with a purpose, even though the butterflies in his stomach were on a frenzy. He couldn't believe that he was about to do this, that he was actually going to march in there and say it. What choice did he have, though? He had to get help for Danny. Someone had to keep the crazy killer from harming Danny but no one could see the photos without knowing the truth. A truth that Danny was reluctant to share because of Martin's father finding out. Martin had spent enough years afraid of his father, living in his shadow. It was his turn to make a move, his time for stepping into the light; whether or not it was a good move had yet to be seen. He felt Danny's eyes on his back, knew that millions of unanswered and unvoiced questions were running through his mind. Martin hoped he would understand.

They rounded the corner and Danny grabbed him by the wrist. "Martin, what the hell are you doing here?"

Martin looked back at him. "I'm doing what needs to be done, Danny. I have to do this. Feel free to stay out here, but I have to go in."

"No," Danny shook his head. "I can't stay out here while you're in there…I'll go with."

"Are you sure?"

"As sure as I am about how I feel for you," was Danny's reply.

Martin smiled and knocked on the solid wood door before him. He heard the voice from inside giving him permission to enter. This was his last chance to back out, to leave before he ruined his world for good. But he couldn't do that. He could not just turn and walk away from this or he'd never get up the courage to do it again. Squaring his shoulders he opened the door and walked in. It was comforting to know that Danny was behind him. Just having the other agent there was reassuring.

"Martin, to what do I owe this surprise?" Victor asked.

"Hello, dad," Martin replied. "I have something I want to talk to you about."

"Of course, sit, sit," he said, motioning toward the two chairs facing his desk. "Good to see you again, Danny."

"Likewise, Mr. Fitzgerald," Danny lied. He kept his voice upbeat and happy knowing that in a matter of minutes he was going to be the last person Victor ever wanted to see. Maybe Martin believed that Danny didn't understand what was going on, but he knew. What he did not understand was why Martin felt the urge to come to his father out of the blue. It could not have been the picture sent to him. The only logical explanation was that someone had sent Martin a picture. But if so, what had bee in the picture that drove Martin to his father and kept him from sharing the photo with Danny? As much as he wanted answers he wasn't sure he wanted to find them in Victor's office.

"Dad, I want to talk about the case in Pennsylvania," Martin started off with.

Victor was quick to interrupt him. "No worries, that won't appear as a bad mark on either record. What happened happened. I shouldn't have sent the two of you in but, if I must be honest, Martin, I was hoping that it would show you there is more to the FBI then finding missing people."

"I know that, dad. I'm not here because I'm worried about a failed case."

"Is it because the killer has crossed state lines and is now in New York?"

"Something like that," Martin said. Danny could see that he was losing his cool. He was going to chicken out. He wanted to reach over and give him a reassuring pat but felt that it would be greatly inappropriate.

Victor leaned back in his chair. "I wouldn't worry about it. The guy doesn't know who you are."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, sir," Danny interrupted.

This caused Victor to lean forward, his elbows on his desk. "And what, if I may ask, does that mean, Danny?"

"The guy is threatening us," Martin blurted out.

"Threatening…Jack never-"

"He didn't want to tell you because you'd ask to see the photo that the killer sent to Danny."

"Photo of what?"

"Danny and I sharing an intimate moment," Martin said, his voice nearly a whisper. Danny could tell from the way the muscles in Victor's neck tensed that he'd heard every word that Martin had just said. If the fire in the older man's eyes was any indicator of how he felt, they were in for it.

"Intimate-"

Martin interrupted him again. "You sent us out on the case, dad. It confused the hell out of me for a while and I admit that I wasn't sure how I felt. But I've recently accepted that I have feelings for Danny that go beyond friendship. And I fought with telling you this because I knew how you would react. But Danny's being threatened and I can't help him without you finding out about how I feel. That's why I'm here, to tell you myself, so that you don't hear it from another party. We need your help, dad. We have to use as much man power as possible to find this guy and get him off the street before-"

"Get out," Victor said.

"What?" Martin responded.

"I said get out," Victor repeated.

Martin opened his mouth to say something but Danny took him by the wrist and directed him out the office door. He knew that it was best to get going before the two of them got into any sort of argument. He pushed Martin into the nearest elevator and hit a random button. Before Martin could protest about any of it Danny kissed him. It may not have been the right moment but Danny was overjoyed to hear that Martin finally figured things out, that he finally understood how he felt. He enjoyed the feel of Martin's warm lips on his, was relieved to feel Martin's body relax. He knew that it was the calm before the storm.


	24. Stop

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, slash, language, and hints of violence.

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**Chapter Twenty-four: Stop**

"So why did you do it?" Danny asked as they stepped off the elevator. "What made you confess to your dad…how did you finally figure out…" Danny had so many questions that he wanted to ask.

Martin reached into his suit jacket and pulled out an envelope. The beat of Danny's heart picked up as he wondered what picture the killer had sent to his love interest. Martin studied the white envelope with worried eyes, seemingly reluctant to hand it over. "I got this…I…Jack. I have to give this to Jack. Forget about my father. He doesn't understand anything but I know that Jack will. He'll understand."

"Martin!" Danny called after him as he took off down the hallway toward Jack's office. He was happy to know that Martin loved him but what the hell was going on inside the agent's head? He'd just walked into his father's office and confessed to being in love with a man. Shouldn't he have been suffering a melt down of some sort because of his father's reaction? The man racing toward Jack's office wasn't the Martin that Danny was used to, at least not lately. It was a glimpse of the way Martin had been a few years ago. Back before he'd been shot and gotten addicted to those painkillers. Danny knew better than anyone how an addiction could change people.

Sighing, he figured he should head toward Jack's office and see what had Martin all pumped up. Plus, he figured that if Martin was going to out their budding relationship he had a right to be there. He smiled at Elena and Vivian as he strolled past. He could tell by the way they looked at him that they were wondering what the hell was up with Martin; he must have gone racing through the area like a man on a mission. And wasn't that exactly what he was? But what the hell was in the envelope? He drew nearer to Jack's office and saw Sam talking with Martin, the envelope still in his hand and unopened. Danny walked into the office and closed the door behind him.

"You told your father?" Sam was saying, the surprise evident in her voice. "You actually marched into his office and told him…?"

"I was there," Danny said. "He did it and his father didn't take it too well. I have a feeling there's going to be some backfire from this."

"I don't care," snapped Martin. "All I care about is making sure we get this guy off the streets. He's a menace and I don't feel safe with him running free. I thought that maybe my father would help us but now I know better. Jack, you're the last hope."

Jack held out his hand. "I need the photos. That means both of them." Danny watched as Martin handed his white envelope over to Jack, still trying to figure out what the hell was concealed inside. Their boss turned his eyes in Danny's direction so he fished out the envelope that he'd be given and tossed it on the boss's desk. "Thank you," Jack said. "I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, I want you three to get your asses out there and see if you can find anything we might have missed. Maybe a connection between the victims. No matter how insignificant it sounds, I want you to check it out. Do you understand?"

They nodded their heads and filed out of the office. Danny looked back over his shoulder as Jack pulled the photo out of the white envelope but he couldn't see what the photo was, not from the distance. He sighed. Maybe he could get it out of Martin somehow. The three of them returned to their desk. Elena and Vivian were busy on the phone, talking about a kid and probably taking notes on a case. They'd been working together since the others returned to New York and had spent little time in the office. Neither one of them was aware of the unfolding story and the danger. Danny thought about telling them but how could he impress upon them the importance of the case without revealing the love between him and Martin? He knew that Elena had been giving him the eye a lot lately but he wanted them to be friends. That's all that he ever wanted. No, it wasn't right to say anything about his relationship with Martin. As it was the other agent had just figured things out. The two of them needed to sit down and have a discussion or better yet, make out on a couch.

"Danny, I think I might have found something," Sam said, coming over to his desk with a piece of paper in her hands.

"Already?"

"Well, if I must honest, I made a notation back in Pennsylvania but with everything that happened, I never got the chance to follow it through," she said. "I've been working on it all morning and I finally hit on something. All of the victims had run in with law enforcement of some sort. Whether it had been a cop, firefighter, or a paramedic; there are reports of some form of law enforcement activity in their files at least a week before the murders were committed."

"That's not that comforting," Danny muttered. "That could mean we're looking for a cop or something. Why would…don't they take any oath to help people, isn't that the point of those jobs?"

"It's a fucked up world, Danny," Sam said bluntly.

"So true."

"Let's tell Martin, it might ease some of his fear," she suggested, turning in the direction of Martin's desk. She stopped, letting out a sigh. "Now where did he go?"

"He said something about the bathroom," Vivian said out of the blue.

Danny didn't wait around. He was out of the office before any of them could blink. Now that they had a link it would be easier to track down the killer. They'd run background checks and find out who wasn't in Pennsylvania at the moment. They could catch the guy and that would take away the panic, fear and worry that were taking hold of Martin. Danny pushed in the bathroom door to find Martin leaning over the sink taking deep breaths. He walked up behind him and placed an arm around his waist. He let his lips brush against Martin's ear.

"We have a lead," he said. "We can catch him."

Martin didn't say anything, didn't even register that Danny was there.

"Martin?"

"Stop," he whispered, his eyes closing. "Please…stop touching me."


	25. You Won't be Mine

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Slash, language, angst and hints of violence.**  
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**Chapter Twenty-five: You Won't Be Mine**

Martin closed the door to his apartment and locked it. He walked through the room without bothering to flip on any of the lights. The sun was still coming in through the windows, enough light to allow him to see where he was going. He slipped out of his shoes and threw his suit jacket on his couch. The keys and his cell phone he dropped on the coffee table. He walked through the living room and right into his bedroom where he collapsed on the bed. Any minute now he expected to get a call from his father telling him that he was being transferred to another office in some far away place. And if it wasn't his dad calling then it would be his mom on the other end of the phone to give him an ear full. There was little doubt in his mind that by now his father had told his mother about the conversation they'd had in his office. He closed his eyes. What had he been thinking? What a crazy idea, thinking that his father would offer up all the man power in the world just because his son was in love. How could he have been so stupid?

He grabbed the extra pillow off his bed and held it over is face, screaming into it. Once the desire passed he let his arms fall to his side, leaving the pillow in place. He sighed. He thought that finally understanding how he felt about Danny would make things better. No, it made things worse. Now he was wishing that he could have everything back, all those words that he said to his father. He wanted to take them back, put them back in the bottle and never let them out again. He loved Danny. And now Danny would never be his.

How could he fuck up?

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He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew someone was walking through his apartment and it was dark in his bedroom. He'd gone from having the pillow over his face to holding it like a life preserver. He tensed, every muscle in his body ready to respond. Images of Danny hurt and covered with blood flashed in his mind. The threat written at the bottom of the photo played across his mind in big, bold, neon letters. The footsteps crept closer, muffled almost entirely by the carpet. There was a soft knock on the bedroom door, something he was expecting. He rolled onto his pocket as the door opened and the light was flicked on, hurting his eyes, forcing him to squint.

"This is what you do after brushing me off? You come home and lie in the dark?"

"Danny, please…"

"Please what, Martin?"

"I don't want to do this," Martin said, rolling onto his side again, turning his back to Danny.

"I got news for you, Fitzy," said Danny as he crossed the floor. "This is going to be done. I want to know why you profess your love for me one minute and tell me to back off the next."

Martin felt the bed shift as Danny sat on the edge. "Danny, please, just go away."

"Never."

Martin whirled around to tell Danny off only to choke on his words as Danny pressed their lips together in a kiss. Memories of every kiss they'd share to date came racing back to Martin and he felt the heat in his body growing. As much as he wanted to send Danny away he wanted him to stay even more. He let one of his hands snake up Danny's shirt and along his ribcage. Danny flinched and Martin broke the kiss. He didn't say anything as he rolled onto his back and began to unbutton Danny's shirt. This time it was Danny that pulled away.

"They're still sore; they haven't healed completely, have they?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Your ribs," Martin said.

"How…?"

Martin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "The picture in the envelope was you, beaten and lying on the pavement. There was a message scrawled along the bottom…"

"Ah," Danny said, understanding finally dawning on him. "They say you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone." He stood. "Now I know why you talked to your father."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving. You asked me to."

"No," Martin said, propping himself up with his elbows. "I've changed my mind. Stay."

"Martin-"

"It might be your last chance."

Without saying anything else Danny removed his suit jacket and tie before climbing back onto the bed. He wrapped his arms around Martin, kissing his neck and jaw line. Danny, feeling bold, reached an arm further south, waiting for Martin to object. But the words never came. He felt the warmth of Martin's palm along the back of his hand before he stopped himself. The day had been rough on the man he loved and the last thing he wanted to do was make it worse or push too hard. He was content to leave his hand resting where it was below Martin's belly button. His body wanted more and his mind told him to go for but his heart kept him from moving forward. He loved Martin and didn't want to risk jeopardizing what they had. If lying in bed with Martin was all he got to do than he was more than happy to do just that. It was one more step in the right direction. Silence settled over the apartment as the both of them got lost within the depths of their thoughts. Little did they know that they were thinking the same thing. Martin closed his eyes, exhausted after such a trying day, and Danny wasn't too far behind. Sleeping was tugging at Danny's consciousness but something in the back of his mind told him that something was lurking in the dark; that he needed to stay awake for the both of them. It was hard to stay awake while listening to the rhythmic breathing of the man he loved. Eventually he gave in, closing his eyes and letting sleep take him, not knowing that something was watching them.


	26. You and I

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, slash, language, and hints of violence.

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**Chapter Twenty-six: You and I**

Danny rolled over and whacked his knee on something solid. The pain that jolted through his leg woke him up. Upon opening his eyes he thought that he was blind but then he realized that it was just dark. He lay still, thinking back to when he'd last been awake. He had been in Martin's apartment lying in bed with his arms around Martin. The bed hadn't been near the wall so there was no reason for him to be hitting his knee on something solid; if anything he would have fallen off the bed onto the floor. With slight apprehension he reached out to his side and felt the familiar hardness of concrete. He scowled. Why was he lying on concrete? Didn't Martin have carpeting on the floors of his apartment? He tried to sit up but the movement sent shockwaves of pain racing through his body, prompting him to stay still. What the hell was going on?

He heard something or someone rustling off to his left and for some reason he instantly thought it was a rat. Being in New York, the idea wasn't that far fetched. Then something settled into his brain as the fog began to clear. Martin. If he wasn't in the bedroom anymore then Martin had to have been moved too. He opened his mouth to speak but he found his throat dry and instead of talking he coughed. The motion making his chest hurt. He instantly thought of his sore ribs and wondered if the injury had been aggravated by whatever had happened. Without a light source he was unable to tell, though. His eyes had adjusted as best as they could but all he could see where the faintest of shapes. Wherever he was it was darker than he was used to; darker than any place he'd ever been in.

The rustling sounded again. He looked to his left, trying to make out a shape, trying to figure out what the hell the sound was. People were always saying how when one sense was lost the others made up for it. Well, he couldn't see. But he sure as hell could hear and he was beginning to think the sound was the rustling of clothing. He just wasn't sure. He closed his eyes in hopes that it would enhance the other senses even further. He listened and a few seconds later heard the rustling again. This time he was certain that it was clothing. He took a deep breath and amongst the musty, moldy, rotten aroma he picked out the hint of aftershave. Martin wasn't that far away from him. But if it was the other agent why hadn't he said anything when Danny coughed? Unless he couldn't speak. That thought made Danny's heart beat quicker. What had happened to them?

"Danny?" he heard someone whisper. It was Martin, his voice raspy due to his throat being dry.

Danny recalled what happened last time he tried to speak but he had a go at it anyway. "I'm here," his voice a harsh whisper.

"Where is here?"

"I don't know," he replied. "I remember being in your bedroom."

"Are you okay?" Martin asked.

Danny chewed his bottom lip, thinking that he could lie and Martin would know since he couldn't see in the dark. But then he thought better. He wanted to be Martin's lover and a foundation of lies was a poor way to start off a relationship. "I hurt six ways to hell," he remarked. "Especially in my chest. I think I might have a broken rib or something. How about you?"

"There's dried blood on my forehead," said Martin. "And I think my ankle might be sprained. At least, I hope it's just sprained."

"Do you remember anything…?"

"After you came to see him and we were lying in bed together? No. All I know is that I woke up here."

"Shit."

Martin remained silent but Danny could hear the rustling of his clothing. He jumped as something brushed against his hand but then he realized that it must have been Martin. Bringing his hand back to the spot it had been in he found Martin's hand. He took firm hold of it and gave the fingers a gentle squeeze. As unhappy and freaked as he was at least he could find comfort in knowing that Martin was with him. He wasn't sure what he would do if he woke up in strange place by himself. He felt Martin moving closer.

"Why are you lying on the ground?" Martin asked, the direction of his voice letting Danny know that he was sitting up.

"I tried getting up but the movement sent shockwaves of pain through my body," Danny replied honestly.

Martin again went without saying anything.

"I'm sure that everything is okay, Fitzy. It's probably nothing serious."

"Do you think we'll get out of here alive?"

"Jack will find us," Danny said. He prayed that he was telling Martin the truth. "And who knows, maybe your father will try like hell to find us, too. Or at least you. I think I might be his least favorite person right now."

"Why?"

"For corrupting his son."

Martin laughed for a minute before it sent him into a fit of coughing. When he could speak he said, "Is that how you see it, you corrupted me?"

"I'm sure that's how he sees it."

"I don't care how he sees it," Martin said. "I'm just grateful that I'm not here alone. And whatever happens, at least I have you with me."


	27. Feel

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, slash, language, and hints of violence.

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**Chapter Twenty-seven: Feel**

The minutes and hours passed by, they had no way of keeping track of the time. They tried to gauge how long they'd been missing by how thirsty they were but that was a bad idea because it only served to remind them that they were dying for something to drink. Danny wasn't sure if Martin knew how long a person could last without water. The statistics must have come up once or twice in one of their many investigations. Even if it hadn't, he wasn't about to panic Martin by telling him that they only had a matter of days before dying of dehydration. Never mind that both of them were so hungry that they were yearning to eat things they normally wouldn't.

Danny felt an oppressive weight throughout his chest like having someone sit on him. At first he thought maybe he was bleeding internally but then he realized that if that were true he'd already be dead. With every passing hour it got harder and harder to breath but he kept that to himself, not wanting to spook Martin. He was surprised at Martin's strength in such a dire situation. He tried to keep things light and would talk about nothing for hours so that they wouldn't have to sit in the dark silence. He'd placed Danny's head in his lap so that he'd have something other than the cold, hard concrete floor to rest on. They never broke contact, both of them afraid that if they parted they would never find each other again; that they would die alone in the dark. Whoever had taken them made no attempt to return and check on them. Either the plan was to let them die from dehydration or something had happened to the kidnapper. They had been incapacitated. Neither one of them could get up and search for an exit. They were truly trapped. They were going to die in the dark of some unknown place, never knowing how much they meant to the world.

Danny let out a ragged sigh before he closed his eyes. Martin had been silent for a while now and he was afraid to say anything for fear of waking him up if he was just sleeping. He prayed that Martin was just sleeping…

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"Do you think we'll ever get anything out of him?" Vivian asked Jack who was standing to her right. They were watching through a two-way mirror.

"He hasn't broken thus far; it's hard to say. But I can promise that I won't give up until the guy breaks," Jack said. "And I will find a way to make him break."

"Maybe you should send in Sam instead of Elena," suggested Vivian.

Jack crossed his arms over his chest. "You know, I've thought about that. She's about fit to be tied. I'm just afraid that if I let her loose on this guy she'll kill him."

"What's worse, Jack? A dead kidnapper and murderer or two dead agents that happen to be your friends?" asked Vivian, never taking her eyes off the scene beyond the glass. "It's been two days, Jack. We have no idea where they are or in what condition they're in. We can't really afford to play by the law."

He sighed. "All right, I'll go get Sam. You may want to pull Elena out of that room before Sam gets here."

He left Vivian to the task of retrieving Elena while he went back to the desks where he knew that Sam was sitting trying to act like she wasn't pissed. They'd hit a few lucky breaks in their background checks of the law enforcement personal back in Pennsylvania. They located one person that could not be accounted for and managed to track him through New York. But not before he took Danny and Martin. Jack was pissed that he was one step behind the killer and though he tried to remain optimistic he wasn't really sure they were going to find their friends alive. The guy hadn't left any victims alive yet. And he was puzzled and unhappy to find that Victor hadn't lifted a hand in trying to find his son. Jack wanted to have a few words with the FBI director but his soul purpose was to find his missing friends. Heated words could wait until later.

Sam was sitting at her desk staring into space and chewing on her bottom lip. When her beautiful eyes gazed in his direction she sat up straighter and reached for something on her desk. He had to smile at her attempt to look like she'd been busy instead of just wasting time. He stopped in front of her desk and looked at her. She was looking a little worse for the wear. The fact that their two friends were missing took a toll on all of them but it seemed to be taking more out of Sam. Probably because the boys had confided so much in her.

"I need you to take a shot at him, Sam," Jack said. "I can't waste anymore time. Do whatever you feel is necessary. Just get me what I need from him."

She stared at him with wide eyes. "You're giving me permission to do whatever?"

"I want Danny and Martin back."

She smiled. "'Bout damn time, Jack. I was wondering how long you would wait."

"I guess I was waiting for something that wasn't going to happen."

"Victor?"

Jack nodded.

Sam scoffed. "Forget about it. He probably doesn't want anything to do with Martin now that he knows Martin isn't going to give him the grandchildren he's wanted. No lovely wife to settle down with. Not for Marty."

"He should be happy that his son had the guts to say what he did," Jack said as they walked toward the interrogation room.

"Oh please," Sam rolled her eyes. "We are talking about Victor. He's probably thinking how having a gay son is going to make him look."

"Some people…"

Elena was standing beside Vivian, gazing through the glass at the volunteer paramedic. Sam didn't say anything as she strolled passed them and opened the door. She looked back over her shoulder one last time to make sure that this was what Jack wanted. He nodded. She went in and started in on the guy like nobody's business. The three of them stood on the other side of the glass and watched her as she went to work. The seconds turned into minutes and the minutes turned to hours. Jack was beginning to think that no one would be able to break the man when Sam came out of the room with a smile that would have been more fitting for the Cheshire Cat.

"You got something out of him?" Jack asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

"You bet your ass I did," she replied as she waltzed passed them. "I know where he's keeping them."


	28. Disease

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Language, angst, slash and hints of violence.

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**Chapter Twenty-eight: Disease**

Danny had closed his eyes on the dark room, the silence surrounding him, easing him into a state of unconsciousness. Before he slipped away he realized that he couldn't feel or hear Martin breathing. He tried in vain to stay awake but quickly faded.

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Jack looked at the old warehouse as he stood with Sam to his side. "Why do people always use old warehouse? Can't they find something more suitable, maybe with fewer breathing hazards?"

"And ruin your day?" Sam said with a smile. She may have been smiling but it didn't take a scientist to see the cloud that had passed over her eyes. They had traveled nearly a half hour to stand upon cracked pavement littered with weeds and trash. The road was surrounded by long abandoned warehouses, now belonging to the homeless instead of companies. She looked at the poorly kept building and was amazed that it hadn't fallen over yet. The roof seemed to be sagging and the front door wasn't even sitting on both hinges. Rust was evident around the wood that covered shattered windows with metal frames. She envisioned the interior of the building as being filled with garbage and things that would hamper their investigation; like blocked entryways and possibly caved in sections. She prayed that Danny and Martin were okay.

The muscles in her body tensed as the radio that Jack held in his left hand crackled to life. Vivian and Elena were on the other side of the building with a few other agents dressed in gear similar to what SWAT members wore. The same type of agents stood around her and Jack. They wanted to make sure that the building was surrounded. They didn't have any information on whether or not the killer had a partner. Sam counted herself lucky to have gotten the man to give away the location. She watched as Jack listened to the words Vivian spoke and she felt the familiar flutter of butterfly wings in her stomach as Jack gave the order to move in. In just a few short minutes they would know whether or not their friends were still alive.

Sam waited patiently beside Jack as the vested and armed agents swarmed the building and disappeared inside. She had odd thoughts, trying to occupy her mind. She thought about a Thanksgiving from years ago when she still spoke to her mother and her sister and ate turkey with them. Then she thought of how she didn't care that she'd been the other woman, the one that eventually caused the downfall of Jack's marriage. She thought about how much she loved to hold him and how much she missed it. Then her mind flashed to a conversation she'd had in bed with Martin when they'd been dating. It brought a fleeting smile to her face and a tear to her eye. Jack must have noticed something because he reached over and squeezed her hand.

Seconds turned to minutes and the minutes felt like hours. The sun vanished behind a bed of clouds and the sudden shadows made her shiver. She was losing her calm. A part of her wanted to tear into the building after the other agents and turn the place upside down. She wanted answers to all the questions that were bouncing around in her mind. And she wanted the chance to see what would happen. Now that Martin had finally confessed his true feelings for Danny she wondered if they'd become the next office couple. Would their love last or would it be temporary? Would Martin's father officially disown his only son and how would Danny's brother take to having two agents in the family, so to speak?

The radio that Jack held once again crackled to life. The two of them listened in silence as the message was relayed to them. Sam felt all the tension ease out of her body. She stood with her eyes closed, the sun coming out from its cover, warming her. She listened as Jack instructed the team of paramedics to be ready. And then they stood and waited. Vivian and Elena came to join them before the members of the team made it out. As a small group they watched the front door, waiting anxiously to see their friends. Sam knew that at least Vivian was feeling the samething she was but Jack's orders forbid either one of them from entering the building. He deemed it unsafe. And so they waited for what seemed like years to Sam.

Finally, the first group of guys immerged, two man dressed in black. Sam watched as another agent followed behind them, Martin at his side. Sure, Martin had his arm flung over the agent's shoulders and he was limping but at least he'd walked out under his own strength. And judging by the slowness of their progression, there wasn't a lot of strength left in him. Sam resisted the urge to run up to him, remaining behind the invisible barrier that Jack had set for them. He would be close soon enough. She swung her eyes anxiously back to the door in hopes of seeing Danny but no one else came out. Then she realized that the first pair of guys was leading a team of paramedics back into the darkness of the warehouse.

"What's going on?" she asked Jack. "Danny…"

"He's alive," Jack assured her, having gotten the confirmation over the radio. "They're taking precautions. He was complaining of chest pain, but he was coherent enough to talk to them. According to the man at the other end of the radio he even smiled."

A few minutes later the paramedics wheeled Danny out on a stretcher and headed for the ambulance. The remaining agents came out of the building, a job well done. Sam shook her head as she watched the ambulances speed away toward the hospital with two people that she cared deeply for. "Why?" she asked Jack. "What would somebody kill people over something they have no control over? Why create heartache and tears in a place where there's love? The world needs more love."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Some people think it's a disease and they're afraid it'll spread. A lack of understanding, Sam. You have misinformed people, and then you have those born into a household of hate and they're taught that loving someone of the same sex is wrong."

"Love is never wrong," Sam said.


	29. Bright Lights

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Slash, angst, language, and hints of violence.

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**Chapter Twenty-nine: Bright Lights**

Danny winced in pain. He'd made the mistake of opening his eyes only to be blinded by the abundant amount of light. He remembered being found in the darkness by a handful of agents and he remembered talking to them but after that everything got blurry. He couldn't even recall walking out of the building. And now he was lying somewhere with bright light that hurt his eyes. The pain in his chest wasn't as great as it had been before, for which he was truly happy. He flexed his fingers and toes, happy to have a full range of motion. Then his mind instantly went to the worries of Martin. He looked around the hospital room, hoping to find someone sitting at his bedside waiting for him to wake up. There wasn't anyone there. Either they were busy or they wanted to avoid telling him that…

He turned his eyes back on the ceiling, chasing the thoughts of death away. Martin was okay. He vaguely recalled hearing Martin's voice and seeing his secret love being led from the room. Or had that been a dream, a piece of a delusional memory that didn't even exist? He closed his eyes again and ran a hand over them. He was going to give himself a headache. With his eyes closed the smells of the hospital grew even stronger and he couldn't take it. He hated being in hospitals so much. Being in them always reminded him of how close he'd come to losing Martin once already. That had been an awful time for him and the last thing he wanted was to have a repeat.

The door opened. He looked to find Sam there, a smile on her face. He figured that that was a good sign. She wouldn't be smiling if Martin had left the world. He tried to smile back but couldn't find the joy within himself to perform the action. He kept getting flashes of the dark room and the fear that he'd never really get to love Martin.

"Hey, sleepy head, how are you feeling?" Sam asked.

"Better than I was," he replied honestly. "What the hell happened to me?"

"You guys got picked up by that psycho. But you're safe now, I promise."

Danny frowned, narrowing his eyes. He'd been around Sam enough to know that she was hiding something, and right now, she was keeping something from him. "What are you hiding, Sam? What is it that you don't want me to know? Did something happen to Martin?"

"Oh, no, Martin's fine. He'll be released later today and he's already promised to come see you," she assured, taking his hand. "Though I should warn you that he's got a bandage on his head. Aside from a touch of dehydration and a mildly sprained ankle, he was fine."

"And?"

She chewed the inside of her bottom lip. "You have a few cracked ribs, nothing major. The doctor said if all goes well today and tonight that you can be out tomorrow."

"Sam, you're still not telling me the whole story."

She let out a deep sigh. "Fine. Look, we didn't know, okay? Jack had us going over the list of law enforcement personal and trying to figure out who was missing. We managed to shorten the list to three people. One of them was in Hawaii enjoying her honeymoon while another was recuperating from a job-related injury. The last person was completely unaccounted for so we figured it had to have been him."

"Who is 'him'?" Danny interrupted.

"A paramedic," she replied, not giving out the guy's name for some reason. "We picked him up out of sheer luck. He was spotted by a cop buying a hot dog. The officer called us and tailed the guy until we could get him. None of us could have known that he had you and Martin," she said. "None of us knew. The two of you had left…."

"Sam, what are you blabbering about?"

"Well, you guys were already gone and I feel bad that you had to suffer. We had the guy and we didn't know until a day had passed that he had you stashed away somewhere," she said. "It's our fault that you and Martin got sick and…"

Danny actually laughed. He didn't know why or for what reason but he laughed. And it felt good. The look that Sam gave him made him life even harder, but that made his ribs hurt and he managed to shut off the urge. "I'm sorry," he wheezed. "You actually want to apologize for saving us?"

"Were you listening to a word I said?"

"Yeah," Danny said, wiping away a tear that had escaped during his fit of laughter. "You kept the guy in your grasp. Do you know what he would have done if you hadn't caught him? He would have killed us. You gave us a few more days and yet you stand there apologizing like you tried to kill us yourself."

She blushed. Sam actually blushed. "I never looked at it that way…"

"Thank you, Sam. Thank you for giving us a fighting chance," he said, taking her hand and kissing the back of it.

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He must have drifted off from the pain medication they were giving him because when he next awoke the lights had been dimmed. For a minute he thought that the whole thing had been a dream. That was until he heard the familiar beep of the equipment around him. He lay there staring at the ceiling trying to understand his good fortune. They'd fucked up the case but got the guy in the end anyway. And now he was free to pursue Martin until his heart couldn't take it anymore. He thought of climbing out of the hospital bed and going in search of the other agent but he remembered what Sam had said to him about Martin being released. She had also said something about Martin coming to see him when he got released. Danny felt a stab of pain his heart. Martin wasn't in the room with him and chances were that he'd missed the visit. Frustrated, he threw back the covers and sat up in the bed. He swung his legs over the side and was about to start removing the various wires and such that were attached to him when the door opened.

"Trying to make a great escape?"

His hands stopped in mid-motion as he slowly looked up. "Fitzy…"

"I would have been here to see you earlier but my father wanted to grill me," he said, the distaste clear in his voice. "Jack tried to get him to lay off but….well, you know how Victor is."

Danny smiled. "I know how stubborn his son can be."

"Hey…by the way, did Sam explain things to you when she was in here earlier?"

"Yeah, everything."

"I'm pretty sure there's one thing she left out."

"What could that be?" Danny asked, feeling a tiny flicker of panic. Had she lied about having the guy in custody?

Martin didn't say anything as he crossed the room, a slight limp in his step. He looked down at Danny. "She forgot to mention this." He placed a hand to either side of Danny's head. He brought his lips to Danny's and felt the heat that had been there that very first time nights ago. Danny reached out, hooking Martin by the waistband of his jeans and pulling him closer to the bed. A shock of burning fire went through his body as he realized that Martin wasn't resisting.


	30. Unwell

Title: False Lives

Disclaimer: Angst, slash and language.

I have the best readers. You guys rock!

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**Chapter Thirty: Unwell**

Martin sat out front the house looking across the expanse of the yard until it met the towering mansion. This is where he'd grown up and though the place looked beautiful he couldn't see it without a cloud hanging overhead. His childhood hadn't exactly been a bad one but he hadn't been as carefree as children his age. His dad was always after him to be this or to be that. There were days when he had to ask himself if he even felt like a normal kid. One of the things his father had drilled into him from the get-go was respect and how to handle pride. As he got older he understood what his father wanted from him. He understood that he was supposed to make something of himself, something that they could be proud of. People were supposed to know his name and associate it with power and money. Why had he followed his father into the FBI? He asked himself that question millions of times but he never could quite figure out the answer. He wasn't even entirely sure that he had followed in his father's footsteps. Maybe he had gone into the FBI with hopes of making a difference, as much as a way to escape his father. He'd enjoyed working out in Washington because it put distance between him and the family. Then he got the transfer to New York and he was home again.

Not that it was all bad.

Had he not come back to New York he wouldn't have made the friends he had. He loved knowing that Jack always had his back, no matter what. Sam and Vivian; he could go to them for anything, to get advice on what he should do or how he should deal with something. And then there was Danny. He still wasn't entirely sure of his feelings for Danny but with each passing day it made more and more sense to him. As much as he hated to be closer to his father, he was happy that New York was his home.

He sighed and pulled his car into the driveway. He'd gotten a call earlier in the day from his mother expressing a need to talk with him. He was reluctant to venture onto the estate for fear of having a run-in with his father. It was Saturday but that didn't mean anything. Martin remembered how his father would work nearly every day of the week. Even he had to work on the weekends when particular cases arose. Just another part of the business. Parking behind his mother's Mercedes he climbed out his car and locked the door. He felt a fluttering in his stomach as he headed for the front door. Homecomings weren't always a good thing and he hadn't been home since his aunt passed away. He just didn't want to deal with the family dynamics. His fingers wrapped around the doorknob…

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Martin slammed the door behind him, making Danny jump and nearly drop the plate he was washing. He hadn't been expecting Martin to return so quickly. He figured the conversation that Mrs. Fitzgerald wanted to have would last throughout most of the day. They'd made plans to meet at a local bar to discuss whatever it was that got talked about and to have dinner. Martin arriving at his apartment was a complete surprise. He quickly shut off the water, placed the plate in the strainer, and dried his hands on a towel. He left the towel on the counter before walking into the living room where he found Martin sitting on the couch with an odd look in his face.

"Fitzy?"

"They ambushed me," he exclaimed. "My mom started off with a pleasant conversation about what her friends had been up to and then it was like I was under fire."

"So I take it that your dad was there?" Danny asked as he settled on the coffee table across from Martin. He remembered what had happened last time they were in these positions. He wouldn't mind a repeat performance.

Martin scoffed. "My father planned the whole damn thing."

"What did they have to say?" Danny inquired.

Martin turned his blue eyes on Danny. "My father had the gall to say that I was unwell and that I should spend time under the care of a nurse. He thinks I'm crazy. My own father!"

"And your mother?"

"She wasn't as bad. She did try to keep my father from being too harsh but that man doesn't understand kindness," replied Martin. He a hand through his hair and let out an exasperated breath. "I don't know, though. She didn't seem nearly as upset as dad. I think she might have had a feeling…"

"A mother's intuition."

Martin shook his head with his eyes closed. "I just can't believe that my father not only used my mother to get me to the house, but he thinks I'm unwell. What kind of father thinks his son is sick when he falls in love?"

"A father who refuses to believe that his son loves another man," Danny answered softly.

Martin looked at him, his anger forgotten for the moment.

"Fitzy, I don't think you're unwell. I think you might still be confused," he said. "But deep down you know how you truly feel. Look, you said so yourself that your mom didn't seem shocked. Maybe we could use that to our advantage, have dinner with her or something. I don't think I've ever met your mother. She'd like me."

"Up until my father tells her about your past…"

Danny moved from the coffee table to a spot on the couch beside Martin. "The past is past. We need to work on our future. And if your father thinks you're unwell, then I'll be unwell right along with you. I don't care. I just want to be with you."


	31. Cold

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, slash and language.

**Check profile for cool news!**

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**Chapter Thirty-one: Cold**

"So how did dinner with the parents go?" Sam asked Danny as they waited for their coffee. They had been trying to locate a missing man all morning and were taking a break to recharge their batteries.

Danny shook his head. "Victor can be such…."

"An ass?" Sam finished for him, her eyebrows raised.

Danny smiled. "Yeah, that about sums it up. He didn't have one nice thing to say. And even though he's being a jerk I have to comment on his ability to change. Gone is the man that respected my ability to get out of a crappy life to make something of myself. It's been replaced by a guy that throws daggers in my direction every time he looks at me."

"He doesn't think you're good enough for his son," Sam said, paying for the coffee and handing Danny his caffeinated beverage.

"I am good enough for Martin," Danny protested. They walked out of the small coffee shop into the blinding sun. The clear blue sky and the shining sun were illusions of a warm day. Sometime during the night a cold front had passed through leaving the city cooler than usual. Danny shivered. They were still a month away from the first official day of autumn but he could already sense that winter was going to be a bitch.

"I never said that you weren't," Sam remarked. She opened the driver's side door of the company vehicle. "But as far as Victor is concerned…."

Danny climbed in on the passenger side. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Okay. How about his mother, how was she?"

Danny took a sip of his coffee before answering. "I think Martin is right about her. She's going to be easier to convince."

"From what I've seen you still haven't completely convinced Martin." She started the car and eased into traffic.

"Don't remind me," Danny grumbled. "One day he seems all lovey-dovey and the next he seems like he's ready to bolt." They pulled up to a red light.

"He's still confused."

"And it just makes him sexier."

Sam smiled. The light turned green and she eased into the intersection, intent on heading for the next address on their list when out of nowhere a large vehicle appeared. The driver ran the red light and slammed into the black SUV that Sam was driving. The air filled with the sound of crunching metal and shattering glass. The SUV swung sideways before coming to a complete stop in the middle of the intersection.

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Martin rubbed his hands together. He didn't really mind the cold and found snow to be beautiful. But it was sill technically summer. He hated having to stand outside on a stake-out when the temperatures where near freezing. He looked over at Vivian to see if she was fairing any better. She wasn't. He thought about asking her if it would be such a bad idea if they took turns at this. One of them could sit in a nice warm car for an hour and then they could switch. It sounded like a good idea to him. But he knew that it wasn't possible. The man they were waiting for needed to have two people on him just in case he made a break for it. Teams were always the best way to go. He rubbed his hands together again before crossing his arms over his chest. How long had they been standing out here?

He shivered. Since eight-o-clock, that's when the call came in. For the last day and half they had been looking for a missing father of three. Reports said that a man fitting his description had been seen at the hotel they were currently keeping an eye on. Instead of seeing their missing man, Vivian had pointed out a burly Italian looking man that was on the FBI's most wanted list. Martin vaguely remembered something about the guy robbing a couple of banks and killing two or three guards while doing it. They forgot about the missing guy for the time being. Everyone else was still actively looking for him so it wasn't like he and Vivian couldn't nab another bad guy before he killed someone else.

Vivian strolled over to him. She'd been casually leaning against a light post. "I'm going to run to the car to get my gloves. I shouldn't be more than a minute."

"Grab mine, please."

Martin began to pace between two buildings. He'd been standing at the entrance of an alley for the better part of his morning. He was cold and he needed to get the blood circulating through his body. While he paced he kept his eyes on the front entrance to the hotel. He prayed that the bank robber came out the front or they would have wasted their day for nothing. And Jack would be unhappy. He watched as a sleek black limousine pulled up outside the hotel. With all the famous people that lived in the city it was no shock to him. He kept watching as a tall woman climbed out of the back wearing a fur coat. He was against wearing fur, fake or otherwise, but at that moment the coat looked warmer than the one he had on.

He shivered again, wondering where Vivian was when he spotted her running toward him. Why was she running? Was she trying to get warm? He shook his head, trying to figure out the reasoning behind her fast pace. If she wasn't careful she'd draw attention to herself and blow their cover. She came to a stop before him, placing her hand on his lower arm, trying to catch her breath. Another reason she shouldn't have been running; hadn't she had heart surgery not too long ago?

"Vivian…"

"There was an accident, Martin," she said, looking into his eyes.

"And?"

"Sam and Danny…Forget about the bank robber," she said, tugging at his arm. "Let's go."

He looked back at the entrance of the hotel in time to see their bank robber exit the building with the woman in the fur. Both of them climbed into the back of the limo. But Martin didn't care. For the umpteenth time in such a short span of time he was left to worry about Danny.


	32. All I Need

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, slash and language.

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**Chapter Thirty-two: All I Need**

Traffic around the intersection was impossible to get through. Vivian turned on the emergency lights in hopes that people would get out of the way but there was nowhere for them to go. Martin was getting antsy in the seat beside her. If they couldn't find a way through what about the cop cars and the ambulances, would they be able to get through? Martin tapped his fingers impatiently on the armrest. Finally the cars in front of them began to slowly move out of the way. Vivian said something but Martin didn't hear it because at that moment he was about ready to jump out of the car. All he could think about was losing Danny. After the horrible dinner he'd had with his parents he'd been distancing himself from his fellow agent. But this brought about feelings that he was still trying to understand.

After what seemed like ages the cars in front of them finally disappeared, breaking laws by running red lights and making illegal turns. Martin didn't care. He looked at the twisted metal in the center of the intersection. The black SUV that Danny and Sam had taken off in earlier that morning was sitting at an awkward angle. Most of the back half of the vehicle had been demolished to the point it didn't even look like part of a car. The second vehicle looked to have folded in on its self. Instantly Martin wondered if the driver had survived as he spotted blood on the windshield. The driver must have been going at good clip in order to cause the amount of damage he was seeing. But none of that was all that important to him. He just wanted to know if Danny and Sam were okay. He didn't see either one of them.

And there were no emergency vehicles.

Martin could hear them in the distance, stuck by the traffic but trying to find their way through. It hadn't dawned on Martin that he and Vivian might be closer than the emergency personal. Vivian parked the car as close to the accident as she could without risking contamination of the crime scene; not that it mattered all that much. As soon as the car was stopped Martin threw open the door. The only door open on the government issued vehicle was the driver's side. That might have had something to do with the fact that the passenger door was blocked by the other vehicle.

He drew nearer to the accident, not seeing anyone moving. He glanced through the windshield of the unknown car but there was no one inside. That puzzling clue didn't matter to Martin. What mattered to him was locating Danny. He rounded the car and came to a stop, his heart skipping a beat. Danny was sitting on the ground, his back resting against the vehicle, a hand to his head. He looked up and over at Martin and tried to smile. Instead he winced in pain.

"Are you okay?" Martin asked, kneeling beside him.

Danny moved is hand to the side slightly. There was blood under his fingers.

"Danny…"

"I'm fine, Martin," he said. "Just a bump on the head. It could have been much worse. That crazy fucking driver…"

"Where's Sam? Why isn't she here?" Martin asked, he was trying not to dwell on the blood so he'd looked through the driver's side door.

"She took off," he answered. "She might have sprained her wrist but that was the extent of her injuries. The guy in the other car…how could he still have been walking?"

"Do you know which way they went?" They both turned to look at Vivian. Danny pointed to his right and she disappeared behind the car, her cell phone in hand. Martin took the opportunity to sit on the pavement beside Danny, making sure that he didn't sit on any shards of glass.

"Thank god you're okay," he said.

"I think I'm going to have a headache for a while," Danny remarked.

"They make medicine to ease the pain."

Danny chuckled, then grimaced in pain.

"I'm happy that you're okay, Danny. On the ride over here…I was so worried, afraid of what I was going to find when we got here…"

"Martin, that's….uh…."

"I'm sorry, Danny. I know that I haven't been that nice the last few days. The things my father says to me…they get under my skin and I shouldn't let them. I'm the only one that truly understands how I feel."

"And how would that be?" Danny asked as an ambulance cruised into the intersection.

"I'm still trying to figure it out, but I'm getting there," Martin answered honestly. "I just need a little more time, Danny. That's all I need."

---------------------------------------------

Danny trudged up the stairs to his apartment, his body aching, his head throbbing. After the last few days he was beginning to think that he would never feel normal again. It seemed that one bad day followed another. With the fingers of his right hand he brushed the bandage on his forehead. Another day another trip to the hospital. At least the accident had been solved, Sam having tracked down the driver of the other vehicle. Seemed the man had been driving drunk and once he noticed the government plates on the SUV, he decided to book it instead of dealing with the consequences. Of course, now he had even more problems to deal with. Danny sighed, pulling his apartment keys from his pocket. All he wanted to do was put food in his stomach and spend the night relaxing. He deserved it.

He went to put his key in the lock when he realized that the door was unlocked. He frowned. Living in the city all his life he'd learned fast never to leave anything unlocked. He pocketed the keys and put his hand on the butt of his pistol. Nudging the door open with his shoe revealed the main room of his apartment. He smiled. Standing by the window was Martin, his hands crossed over his chest.

"I don't remember giving you a key to my place," Danny said, walking into the room and closing the door behind him. He locked it.

Martin turned around. "I got it from Jack."

"I wasn't aware that he had a copy of my apartment key," remarked Danny.

"I guess he gets them copied for emergencies," Martin shrugged.

"But without asking?"

Martin just shrugged again.

Danny slipped out of his shoes and went about removing his tie. He threw the tie and his suit jacket on the arm of his sofa. Then looked at Martin with his hands on his hips. "So what do I the owe pleasure?"

"I've been thinking…."

"And?" Danny wondered where this was going.

"I want to stay," Martin said, looking down at the floor. "Sleeping alone at home, I can't take it anymore. I've tried getting used to sleeping alone but…I miss having you on the other side of the bed. I wake up in the night and rollover to nothing. I want to wake up and find you there, Danny. I want…"

Danny smiled, closing the distance between them. He took Martin into his arms and pulled him close, pressing their foreheads together. "Then you can stay. If all you want is to sleep beside me, that's all I need. You're all I've ever needed."


	33. Hand Me Down

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, language, and slash.

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**Chapter Thirty-Three: Hand Me Down**

Martin rolled over in bed, reaching out with his hands. They touched the bare, cold sheets. He opened his eyes to look at the empty side of the bed. The covers were still pulled back and there were creases in the pillowcase. He'd gone to bed with Danny, happy to feel the warmth of another body beside him. Happy that it was Danny's warm body beside him. For the first time in weeks he'd slept soundly and his dreams had been pleasant. Now he was staring at the other side of the bed wondering what had happened to Danny. Then he heard the faint clinking of dishes through the partially open door. Of course, where else would Danny have gotten to? As Martin through back the covers he had a flash back to their time undercover. There had been many mornings when he'd awakened to find Danny downstairs cooking breakfast. One of these days he'd have to make sure he got up first so that he could make Danny breakfast for once.

He walked across the soft carpet and pulled open the bedroom door. Walking out into the rest of the apartment he inhaled deeply as he entered the kitchen. The room was filled with the smell of bacon and eggs and other mouthwatering food. Martin's stomach growled loudly, making Danny chuckle.

"Hey, sleepy head. I was just going to come in and wake you up. We have to leave for work soon," Danny said, stirring something in a frying pan.

"Do you think that I have time for a quick shower?" asked Martin. He liked to hop in the shower in the morning to help him fully wake-up. Usually he was up before the sun and needed the extra motivation.

"If it's really quick. Food should be done in a few minutes."

"Do you mind if I borrow one of your shirts?"

"Go right on ahead," Danny called back over his shoulder as Martin headed for the bedroom.

He gathered up his suit from yesterday, having slept in his boxers, and hung them on the bathroom door. He could use the steam from the shower to remove most of the wrinkles. Turning on the water he went back into the bedroom and grabbed a shirt from Danny's closet. Hopefully no one would ask questions about his outfit. The suit looked like a few others in his closet and the shirt was different. He hung it beside his suit, shed his boxers, and stepped under the warm water. It felt wonderful to have the water flowing over his skin. He borrowed some of Danny's shampoo and made sure to keep his shower short. The last thing he wanted was for Danny to have gone through the trouble of preparing breakfast and having it end up cold. He also didn't want them to arrive at the office late because that would just prompt the others to ask questions. Questions that he wasn't sure he wanted asked.

Shutting off the water, he stepped out of the shower, quickly dried off and got dressed. He gave himself a cursory glance in the mirror before leaving the bathroom behind. He'd made it just in time; Danny was putting the plates of warm food on the small table. Martin took a seat across from him. His stomach growled loudly once again and he couldn't wait to dig in.

"So how did you sleep?" Danny asked as he sipped his cup of coffee.

"Wonderfully," Martin replied. "Thank you. I take it you slept like a baby?"

"Always," smiled Danny. "And having you there…it reminded me of our little undercover stint."

Martin chuckled before taking a bite of bacon. "Funny, I was thinking along those same lines before, when I woke up."

The conversation hit a lull as they ate their food before it got cold. Martin felt more content and happier than he had in a long time. For some reason sitting across the table from Danny while they ate breakfast just felt right. He didn't understand why and part of him didn't want to understand. He realized that he liked to get up in the morning knowing that he wasn't waking to an empty place. He liked having someone to talk to while he had breakfast; hell, he liked having a breakfast that was homemade instead of fast food. Being with Danny felt right and Martin felt the need to tell him that. But when he looked up he noticed that Danny seemed to be deep in thought. The look on his face made Martin feel that he was concentrating hard on something. He felt bad about the idea of disturbing him but he wanted to say what was on his mind before he lost his nerve.

To his surprise Danny spoke first. "Martin, I loved having you stay the night and you know how I feel about you. And yes, I'm aware that you told your father about your feelings, professing to him that you loved me but…I don't know how much longer I can handle this. I know that I should give you some space to figure things out but this is hell on me…being this close and spending all these moments with you." Danny looked into his eyes. "I don't want to share my bed with you anymore, Martin. Not unless…"

Martin placed his hand on Danny's. "Anybody ever tell you that you babble too much? I was just going to tell you that I'm done thinking."

"Oh?"

"I want to be with you, Danny. What I said to my father was the truth. I do love you and I don't need anymore space," spoke Martin, happy to have not chickened out. He smiled, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from his chest. Yes, this was right. He was in love with Danny and he wanted to be with Danny. Forget what the world had to say about it.

Danny was smiling. "That's good to hear, Fitzy. Too bad we can't seal the deal or anything. We're going to be late for work."

"Shit."

Martin opted to rinse the dishes while Danny finished getting ready. As he stood over the sink he thought of how domestic they already were around each other. Maybe that whole undercover job hadn't been so bad after all. Sure, there were bad moments and they ended up with a crazy man kidnapping them. But all in all he was able to figure out what he was missing from his life. He'd never felt so happy, so light hearted. He dried his hands, thinking all the while that he could really get use to the feeling. Leaving the towel on the counter he followed Danny out the apartment door.

"You know, I'm amazed that this shirt fits me so well," Martin remarked. "I didn't think we wore the same size."

"We don't," Danny said, looking at Martin, a twinkle in his eye. "You just happened to pick one of my older shirts. You can keep it if you want."

"A Danny hand me down?" Martin quipped. "Wow. One minute we're eating breakfast and the next we're sharing clothes. What will Sam think?"

"She'll probably think that it's about damn time," Danny said.


	34. Could I Be You?

Title: False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, language, and slash.

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**Chapter Thirty-Four: Could I be You?**

If Martin thought he'd be able to fool anyone he was wrong. The minute he was alone Sam seemingly materialized out of nowhere, placing a hand on his arm. She smiled and asked him about the shirt he was wearing. He tried to bluff it off as an old shirt that he'd found in the back of his closet and a lack of doing laundry. But she wouldn't hear any of it. She gave him a short list of why too, pointing things out about the shirt and the suit that left her with raised eyebrows, awaiting an explanation. So Martin told her the truth. What harm would it cause? Plus, he liked having Sam know about him and Danny. She wasn't jealous and that made him feel even better. He liked that after everything that they'd been through they could still be friends, still be happy for one another. And a small part of him was hoping for some dirty dishing on her part. She'd been spending more and more time with Jack. Were they an item again? He didn't know because they were interrupted before he could pump her for detail.

Jack called them together and began to give them orders. Danny and Vivian were to follow up on the bank robber that they'd spotted a few days ago. Reports had come in from the hotel that the guy was fast becoming a regular. Martin didn't mind that Danny was taking his place, as long as the bad guy got taken off the streets. Elena was going to accompany Sam. They were to follow up a lead about the missing man they had been actively searching for for the last week or so. Martin was beginning to think that this guy was going to be one of the ones nobody ever saw again. Each new lead turned into a dead end before the end of the day. He hoped that this time Sam and Elena would find something. He felt bad for the family waiting at home for their missing father and husband and son.

Jack surprised Martin by saying they were going to work together. A new case had come in that morning that needed some attention. Martin felt blessed with an opportunity to work one on one with Jack; it was something that rarely happened. He wasn't sure if his boss wanted to keep an eye on him, maybe check-up on him but then again, he didn't care. He was happy. This was going to be a good day. He planned to make the best of it.

The three teams left the office behind. None of them were going to return until the sky had turned dark again. Vivian and Danny would spend the better part of their day watching the front door of the hotel until the bank robber showed himself, in company of the lady in fur. There would be a small chase on foot but they'd catch him and his lady friend, putting an end to a string of bank robberies before it even began. Sam and Elena would follow their lead to yet another dead end before getting a tidbit of information that seemed so unimportant that it proved to be beneficial in the long run. They were able to follow it to a half-way house where they found their missing man. Doctors would later say that he suffered a slight mental break that caused problems with his memories. He wasn't able to remember his name or where he lived. The family was grateful to have him home. A perfect end to the day.

Meanwhile, Martin and Jack spent the morning hours, and most of the afternoon ones too, trying to locate a missing girl. They were able to find her. She'd simply wandered off and lost her way. Being only eight she remembered what he parents told her about not talking to strangers and trying to find a police officer. It was a mall security guard that found her on a bench crying. Jack and Martin were able to return her home safely with many thanks from the parents. By this time Martin felt he was walking on cloud nine. The day couldn't have been any better. He'd finally made up his mind about Danny. He spent the day working a case with his boss and they solved it with a happy ending. In a few hours he'd be heading home to pick-up a few things before returning to Danny's apartment. There wasn't anything else he could ask for.

But then he got a call from his father.

He wanted to meet him in the park.

Jack drove to the location and stayed in the car while Martin walked across the manicured grass to speak with his father. He felt that at any moment his good day was going to go south. But he wouldn't-_couldn't- _let that happen. It was his life and time that he took charge of it.

"Martin, you look happy," his father started off with.

Martin didn't feel like making small talk. "What's this about, dad?"

"Your mother and I are having some friends over this weekend," Victor said. "They're bringing their daughter-"

"Stop it," interrupted Martin. "I'm not going to let you set me up with some woman, dad. I'm happy with my life. I'm happy being with Danny."

Victor frowned. "So you're actually with him?"

"Yes," confirmed Martin.

"Martin, son, listen-"

"No, you listen, dad," Martin said. He planned to keep his day happy. "I'm not you. I will never be you. Danny holds the key to my heart. He makes me happy and it's sad that you can't be happy for me. But I understand. I'm happy with my life right now, dad. My friends have no problem with this and deep down; I think mom is okay with it, too. But until the two of you can actually so as much I don't think we should be spending any time together."

Martin didn't give his father a chance to respond. He turned and headed back to the car and Jack. He _was_happy with his life and he did think it sad that his parents couldn't be happy for him. But he couldn't control who he fell in love with. His heart belonged to Danny and nothing his father did could change that. The feelings were buried deep within in his soul. As he opened the passenger door he looked back at his father. The older Fitzgerald was already gone. And Martin wondered if they'd ever speak again.


	35. Downfall

**Title: **False Lives

**Disclaimer: **Angst, language, and violence.

**Just a reminder that I now have a MySpace page where short stories can be requested. Details in my profile.**

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**Chapter Thirty-Five: Downfall**

"You know, this is a nice change of pace, doing something the other agents usually do, but I tell ya; I can't wait until we go back to our normal jobs," muttered Martin as he rubbed his hands together. Today he'd actually remembered his gloves but they weren't helping. The temporary cold-snap had turned into something more long term and that meant the city was full of complaining people.

"I think I'm going to agree with you," Sam said, shoving her hands deep into the pockets of her coat. "The undercover spell, catching bank robbers; not really what I signed on for."

Martin bounced from one foot to the other in an attempt to generate more body heat. "Tell me why we got stuck standing outside in the cold while everyone else gets to enjoy the heat."

"We're being punished?" she offered.

"Ha," Martin said dryly. "I wouldn't put that past my father, but Jack? What could we have done to upset him?"

She shrugged. "Look, there's a coffee shop on the next block. How about I go get us some warm, scrumptious coffee?"

Martin looked at her. "And why should you get to stand inside where it's warm?"

"Well…if you want to pay…"

He waved his hands in front of himself. "No, by all means, you can fetch the coffee."

She smiled and walked away, pulling up her coat collar to help drive away some of the chill. He watched her go, amazed that after everything they'd been through that they were still friends. Their brief relationship had meant something to him, though now he wasn't exactly sure what that something had been. He may have been spending more and more time with Danny but Sam would always hold a special place in his heart.

He turned his attention back to the hotel. The robber had been caught by Vivian and Danny but there was still the little matter of his lady friend, the one that liked to wear fur. She was either really stupid or just naïve, still using the suite on the top floor even though her partner had been busted. Did she think she was invisible just because she came from money? The bank robber had rolled over on her, telling the agents everything they ever wanted to know and more. Why the daughter of a prominent businessman would get involved in robbing banks was beyond him. But then again, maybe it was just another form of rebellion; an attempt to break out of her father's shadow. Martin could understand the desire to do that. He'd always wanted to get away from his father's ever looming shadow. And now he finally had. He had practically been disowned by his family because of who he chose to love.

Life went on.

Sam returned with two cups of steaming coffee just as a black limousine pulled up in front of the hotel. She handed a cardboard cup to Martin as the two of them watched the furred lady climb from the expensive automobile. Sam shook her head. "You'd think she would want to keep a low profile."

"People do strange things," Martin said, sipping the coffee. He felt the warmth course through his body and it felt wonderful.

"Shall we go take her into custody?"

"Preferably before my toes go numb."

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An hour later Martin was sitting in the breakroom with his hands wrapped around yet another mug of coffee. He hadn't been able to drive away the chill that had followed him into the office. He shivered, wondering how well Sam was doing. The heat was on in the Federal building but it did little to warm him. He sipped his coffee. Right now Jack was in some interrogation room gathering up the last of the information needed for the robberies. Martin looked forward to his next case actually having to deal with missing people; after all, that was his job. Not running after fabled bank robbers or going undercover to catch serial murderers. He took another sip of his coffee as another shiver passed over him.

"Cold?"

He looked up to see Danny standing in the doorway. He frowned. "At least I still have feeling in my toes."

Danny chuckled. He walked across the room. "At least it wasn't that bad. You got the lady."

"Only after Sam grabbed hold of her coat and yelled something about murder," Martin recalled. "We couldn't get near her so Sam went crazy and pretended to be some crazy Green Peace person."

"I heard she tripped a bodyguard," Danny said.

"Nope. She tripped two and shoved one into an open elevator."

"And I missed all the fun."

"I guess you could look at it that way," Martin mused, his hands still wrapped around the mug of coffee, even though it was empty. He was reluctant to move for fear of bringing back the chill he'd managed to drive away. Danny had other ideas. He managed to free the mug from Martin's grasp and placed it in the breakroom's sink. Then he turned and looked at Martin.

"Come on, get up."

Martin stood, pushing the chair in like he'd been taught; one of those many habits that his mother had taught him was proper etiquette. Now he did it automatically. He turned to look at the man he loved and shivered, the chill having come back. He cursed under his breath. Danny chuckled and wrapped Martin in an embrace. He muttered something about sharing body heat that made Martin blush, his cheeks turning red. They stood that way for a minute or two, happy to be close to one another. Martin rested his head on Danny's shoulder and closed his eyes, inhaling the smell of Danny's aftershave, the smell of the fabric soap he used. He enjoyed the smell that was Danny.

"You two keep cuddling like that in the office and you might lose your jobs," voiced Jack as he walked into the room with his own coffee cup.

Martin didn't even make an attempt to move. "If loving Danny shall be my downfall, then so be it."


	36. Soul

**Title: **False Lives

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**Chapter Thirty-Six: Soul**

Martin snuggled closer to Danny, turning his back on the sunlight that poured through the window, bypassing the curtains like they weren't even there. He kept his eyes closed, relying on the rest of his senses. He could hear every breath that Danny took, the rustling of the blanket as he shifted his position. He felt the warmth of Danny's skin and the beat of his heart. With every breath he breathed in the scent that was uniquely Danny. He thought about how much he loved waking up like this every morning as he pressed his lips to the bare flesh of Danny's back. It had only been a week but he already felt like a whole new person. And how could he not? He was no longer trying to please anyone but himself. He no longer stood in the shadows of his father as he took control of his own life. Now he could honestly say what people meant when they spoke of being at peace with themselves. He was at peace. He was content and happy and actually looking forward to what adventures awaited him tomorrow.

What more could he ask for?

"You do know that if we don't get out of bed we're going to be late?" Danny said.

Martin sighed. So much for his wonderful moment. "Do we have to?"

"Fitzy, the people in charge gave the whole team a day off for all that we've done. There are other people working in our place so there's nothing to worry about. Don't you want to enjoy a day off?"

"Well…"

"I hear that it's actually supposed to be warm today. The guy on the news last night said the cold front was going to go away," Danny said, turning to face Martin. "That means we have a beautiful sunny day to enjoy with the people we care about. Come on," he said, throwing back the covers and sitting up. "We'll spend a few hours with them and then spend the rest of the day just the two of us. What do you say?"

"If you insist."

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Martin raised his eyebrows as he crossed the expanse of green lawn toward his friends. They were sitting around on a red-and-white checkered blanket with a big wicker basket between them. When Jack said they should meet in the park for lunch a picnic was the last thing Martin expected. These were his coworkers, his friends. He was used to seeing these people in suits and stylish blouses and slacks, even skirts. Yet, today they were dressed more casually, not a piece of dress clothing anywhere in sight. He smiled at seeing Jack in a pair of jeans and a deep blue sweater. For some reason the ensemble made the leader of the Missing Persons Unit seem more human, as odd a thought as that was. Danny gave his hand a gentle squeeze as they drew closer, their friends having shared in some joke, laughing and enjoying the warming rays of the sun.

They joined their friends, taking up the rest of the available space on the blanket. The temperature was definitely warmer than the last few days and that made the cold beverages all that more popular. They talked for hours, sharing jokes and stories and enjoying one another's company. Martin couldn't remember the last time that he'd been so happy. He didn't want the day to end. As much as he loved his job he didn't want this moment to pass. Before too long they'd all be back in the office doing what they did nearly every day of the year. They would be putting their lives on the line to make sure that others were kept safe. Days like this were few and far between, making them even more special. He sighed.

The merrymaking was short lived. So caught up in their fun none of them noticed that the sun disappeared behind a thick layer of dark clouds. The rainstorm let loose without any warning. One minute it was an overcast day and the next it was pouring. The girls shrieked in surprise, jumping to their feet and heading for the nearest grove of trees, laughing while they splashed through the quickly forming puddles. Jack managed to throw things back into the basket but there was no rescuing the blanket and he too sought cover under the trees. Danny was ready to follow him when Martin grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him back.

"Remember last time it rained? You ended up being mad at me," he said.

"Martin…"

"I don't want to think of that moment every time it rains. I want a happy memory."

Danny smiled, the rain running down his face and soaking his clothes making them fit like a second skin.

"Everyone can see, Fitzy."

Martin placed his hands on the side of Danny's face. "I don't care. I'm happy, Danny. I'm finally happy." They kissed, letting the world around them fade away for a few minutes. When they finally broke apart they kept their foreheads pressed together. "I love you, Danny."

Danny smiled. "I've always loved you, Fitzy."

**Fin**


End file.
